Sony a7CR | Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG II Art | F1.2 | 1/125 sec | ISO 100 Photo: Mitchell Clark

Earlier this week, Sigma announced a second-generation version of its full-frame 35mm F1.2 lens, the 35mm F1.2 DG II Art. It promised not only improved optical quality and autofocus performance, but a much smaller and lighter package overall.

We had the chance to use the lens in a variety of conditions to get an idea of how it performs, and you can see our samples in the gallery below.

See the 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; we do so in good faith, so please don't abuse it.

This week, we've seen a slew of video and cinema news, timed alongside the International Broadcasting Conference trade show that's kicking off today. Perhaps two of the most notable were the Nikon ZR, a video-focused camera featuring the same sensor as the Nikon Z6III, and the Canon EOS C50, which uses a new 32MP full-frame sensor.

DPReview editors Dale Baskin, Richard Butler and Mitchell Clark sat down to discuss the cameras and the surprisingly different places they fit into the market. Fear not, photographers; they also discuss some of the new stills-focused lenses from Sigma.

As a wedding photographer and YouTube creator, Benj Haisch has a lot of gear. That's a benefit when he's gearing up to shoot an elopement. But when he's packing for a family trip to Hawaii? Turns out, too much gear can be a liability in that instance.

In the first episode of our new series produced in partnership with MPB, Haisch sets out to simplify his travel kit – without breaking the bank.

As a starting point, Haisch connected with DPReview staffer Mykim Dang to discuss his options. That conversation quickly led him to our Lens Feature Search and Lens Comparison Tool where he was able to quickly whittle the list of potential lenses down to just three.

Haisch put DPReview's Lens Comparison Tool to good use. Image: DPReview

From there, Haisch jumped over to MPB, the leading platform for buying, selling, and trading camera equipment, to check on pricing and inventory. Because MPB has the largest range of used digital cameras and lenses in the US – over 20,000 items – he was able to quickly find a Sony FE 24-50mm F2.8 G in the right condition and price point for his budget. Plus, he even traded in a macro lens that was collecting dust to further reduce the cost of his upgrade.

Got gear of your own collecting dust on a shelf, or simply looking for something new? Head over to MPB to upgrade your kit today.Buy, Sell, or Trade with MPB

ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year

The Royal Observatory Greenwich has announced the winners of its ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest. This annual showcase highlights some of the world's best space photography, with winners, runners-up, and highly commended images selected across ten categories.

This year's overall winning image, Andromeda Core, was captured by Chinese photographers Weitang Liang, Qi Yan, and Chuhong Yu. The winning photograph "focused on revealing the intricate structure of the galaxy's central region and its surrounding stellar population." Additionally, contest organizers recognized NASA astronaut Don Pettit for a time-exposure image he captured from the International Space Station using a homemade sidereal star tracker.

We share the winning images from each of the contest's ten categories on the following pages. To see the complete collection of awarded images, visit the competition's website.

Winner: Galaxies

The Andromeda Core by Weitang Liang, Qi Yang, Chuhong Yu (China)
Overall Competition Winner
Winner: Galaxies

This image showcases the core of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) in exceptional detail, captured using a long focal-length telescope. Taking advantage of the excellent seeing conditions at Nerpio, the photographers focused on revealing the intricate structure of the galaxy’s central region and its surrounding stellar population.

Taken with a PlaneWave Instruments CDK20 telescope, Baader LRGB and Chroma H-alpha filters, PlaneWave Instruments L500 mount, Moravian Instruments C3-61000 Pro camera, 3,450 mm focal length, 500 mm F6.8, multiple 900-second R, G and B exposures, multiple 1,800-second H-alpha exposures, 38 hours total exposure

Location: AstroCamp Observatory, Nerpio, Spain, 31 July, 2, 4–6, 14, 17, 20, 29, 31 August and 1 September 2024

The Andromeda Core © Weitang Liang, Qi Yang, Chuhong Yu

Winner: Planets, Comets & Asteroids

Comet 12P/Pons−Brooks Taking a Final Bow by Dan Bartlett (USA)
Winner: Planets, Comets & Asteroids

Comet 12P/Pons−Brooks reacted visibly to the intensified solar winds associated with the current solar maximum, creating a spectacle of tail dynamics and colorful hues expelled by its nuclear coma, the bright cloud of gas around the comet’s centre.

Taken with a Celestron C14Edge HD SCT telescope with HyperStar V4 lens, 10Micron GM 2000 HPS mount, ZWO ASI2600MC Pro camera, 712 mm F2, 25 x 30-second exposures

Location: June Lake, California, USA, 31 March 2024

Comet 12P/Pons−Brooks Taking a Final Bow © Dan Bartlett

Winner: Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer

Encounter Across Light Years by Yurui Gong, Xizhen Ruan (China)
Winner: Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer

This photograph captures a serendipitous moment when a brilliant fireball from the Perseid meteor shower appears to graze M31, the Andromeda Galaxy. This photograph captures a serendipitous moment when a brilliant fireball from the Perseid meteor shower appears to graze M31, the Andromeda Galaxy.

Originally, the photographers had only planned to capture a close-up of the M31 galaxy. Retrieving the camera the next morning, they discovered this wonderful surprise.

Taken with a Nikon Z 30 camera, 56 mm F1.7, ISO 800, multiple 30-second exposures

Location: Zhucheng City, Shandong, China, 12 August 2024

Encounter Across Light Years © Yurui Gong, Xizhen Ruan

Winner: Our Moon

The Trace of Refraction by Marcella Giulia Pace (Italy)
Winner: Our Moon

This image captures the phenomenon of atmospheric refraction, where moonlight passes through dense layers of Earth’s atmosphere near the horizon, bending in a manner similar to light rays through a prism. Additionally, the redness of the Moon can be explained by a process known as Rayleigh scattering [smaller particles in the atmosphere scatter shorter wavelengths of light, resulting in longer wavelengths, namely red, being more predominant].

Taken with a Nikon D7100 camera, 600 mm F6.3, ISO 100, 1-second exposure

Location: Contrada Sant’Ippolito, Modica, Sicily, Italy, 7 April 2024

The Trace of Refraction © Marcella Giulia Pace

Winner: Aurora

Crown of Light © Kavan Chay (New Zealand)
Winner: Aurora

The image was taken during the G5 storm, the most extreme level of geomagnetic storm, in May. The reds were a level of intensity the photographer had never experienced.

Taken with a Nikon Z 7 astro-modified camera, Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Pro 2i mount, Nikkor Z 14-24 mm F2.8S, 16 mm, Sky: F2.8, ISO 800, 5-second exposure; Foreground: F5.6, ISO 3,200, 30-second exposure

Location: Tumbledown Bay, Little River, Banks Peninsula Community, New Zealand, 10 May 2024

Crown of Light © Kavan Chay

Winner: Our Sun

Active Region of the Sun's Chromosphere by James Sinclair (USA)
Winner: Our Sun

The chromosphere is the most picturesque part of the Sun. Composed of hydrogen and helium plasma, it is manipulated by the intense and tangled magnetic fields of the Sun. The Sun’s chromosphere does not just change day by day; it changes second by second, which is why solar astrophotographers become obsessed with it.

Taken with a Lunt 130 mm telescope with double-stacked Etalons, Lunt Block Filter 3400 (34 mm), Sky-Watcher EQ6 R Pro mount, Player One Astronomy Apollo-M Max camera, 910 mm F28, Gain 310, 10-second exposure

Location: Cedar City, Utah, USA, 30 September 2024

Active Region of the Sun's Chromosphere © James Sinclair

Winner: People & Space

ISS Lunar Flyby by Tom Williams (UK)
Winner: People & Space

This image shows the International Space Station making a close pass of our Moon. The event was predicted to be a transit but ended up being a close flyby. However, the result is still dramatic, with the station’s solar arrays backlit by the rising Sun. Notably, the white radiators can also be seen and are illuminated by earthshine rather than direct sunlight.

Taken with a Sky-Watcher 400P GoTo Dobsonian telescope, Player Astronomy Uranus-C (IMX585) camera, 300 mm F15.5, 1.5-millisecond exposure

Location: Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, 27 October 2024

ISS Lunar Flyby © Tom Williams

Winner: Skyscapes

The Ridge by Tom Rae (New Zealand)
Winner: Skyscapes

This is the largest panorama Tom Rae has ever captured, with the full resolution image containing over a billion pixels from 62 images stitched together. The photograph captures the twin glacial rivers with the Milky Way core off to the left of the image, as well as the famous Southern Cross and other pointers high in the centre sky.

Taken with a Nikon Z 6a and Z 7 cameras, iOptron SkyGuider Pro mount, Sky: Nikon Z 6a camera, 40 mm F1.8, ISO 1,600, 49 x 30-second exposures; Foreground: Nikon Z 7 camera, 24 mm F10, ISO 125, 13 x 20-second exposures

Location: Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, Mackenzie District, New Zealand, 8 April 2024

The Ridge © Tom Rae

Winner: Stars & Nebula

M13: An Ultra-Deep Exposure of the Popular Cluster by Distant Luminosity;
Julian Zoller, Jan Beckmann, Lukas Eisert, Wolfgang Hummel (all Germany)
Winner: Stars and Nebula

M13, or the Great Hercules Cluster, is one of the most prominent and well-studied globular clusters in the northern sky. Discovered by Edmond Halley in 1714, it is located in the constellation Hercules and lies about 22,200 light years from Earth. With an apparent magnitude (a measure of brightness) of 5.8, M13 is visible to the naked eye under dark skies and can be easily observed through binoculars or a small telescope. Our goal was to get the deepest possible image of the cluster, in which, to our surprise, even integrated flux nebula (IFN) clouds appeared.

At approximately 145 light years in diameter, M13 is one of the larger globular clusters associated with the Milky Way – a tightly packed sphere of hundreds of thousands of stars. At its core, some stars are as close as 0.05 light years apart, about one-tenth the distance between the Sun and its nearest stellar neighbour. Although M13 is one of the most photographed astronomical objects, there are only a few deep images that show the numerous small background galaxies in the field.

Taken with a TS-Optics 200 mm/8 ONTC F4 Newtonian telescope, iOptron CEM70G mount, ZWO ASI2600MM Pro camera, 800 mm F4, 300-second exposures, 29.25 hours total exposure

Location: Pena Trevinca, Veiga, Gijón Municipality, Asturias, Spain, 25 September 2024

M13: An Ultra-Deep Exposure of the Popular Cluster © Distant Luminosity

Winner: ZWO Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year

Orion, the Horsehead and the Flame in H-alpha by Daniele Borsari (Italy)
Winner: ZWO Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year

This image was captured with an H-alpha filter to make a monochrome image highlighting the emission nebula. This image was captured with an H-alpha filter to make a monochrome image highlighting the emission nebula.

On the lower left lies the Horsehead Nebula, also known as Barnard 33. This dense dark cloud of gases hides the light coming from the emission nebula IC 434 and creates the apparent shape of a horse’s head.

A little to the left, we find the Flame Nebula, NGC 2024. The star responsible for the illumination of this nebula, IRS2, is located behind dust and gases and is therefore not visible in the optical spectrum.

And finally, in the upper-right of the image, is M42, famously known as the Orion Nebula. This nebula is a huge cloud of dust and gas where a lot of new stars are born. The energy released by the four central stars (the Trapezium Cluster) shapes the nebula, ionising the gas components.

Taken with a Player One Astronomy Ares-M Pro camera, Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro mount, Samyang 135 mm F2.0 lens, 135 mm F2.8, 45 x 60-second exposures and 262 x 300-second exposures, 22 hours and 35 minutes total exposure

Location: Leffe, Bergamo, Italy, 11, 14, 15 January, 6 February 2025

Orion, the Horsehead and the Flame in H-alpha © Daniele Borsari

Special feature

Earth From Orbit by Don Pettit (USA)
Special feature

While the ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition showcases the best of Earth-bound astrophotography, this image demonstrates the immense potential of space-based imagery, revealing the cosmos in ways that would be impossible from the ground.

Captured between October 2024 and March 2025, during ISS Expedition 72

This is one of a number of star-field time exposures captured from the International Space Station (ISS) using a homemade sidereal star tracker. Rotating once every 90 minutes, the tracker counteracts the attitude motion of the orbiting ISS, allowing distant stars to be photographed as fixed pinpoints while the Earth continues to rotate below, previously an impossibility in orbital photography.

Taken with a Nikon Z9 camera, Sigma 14 mm F1.4 lens, F1.4, ISO 6400, with homemade orbital sidereal drive to compensate for orbital pitch rate (4 degrees/min), 15-second exposure.

Earth From Orbit © Don Pettit

Sony a7CR | Sigma 20-200mm F3.5-6.3 DG Contemporary | 76mm | F7.1 | 1/250 sec | ISO 100 Photo: Mitchell Clark

Earlier this week, Sigma announced the 20-200mm F3.5-6.3 DG Contemporary, a full-frame lens that the company says is the first to have a 10x zoom ratio. We were able to test the lens out in a variety of scenarios to get an idea of how it performs throughout its wide range of focal lengths and at different apertures.

The sample gallery contains a few sequences with images taken at 20mm and 200mm, to help illustrate the range it provides.

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; we do so in good faith, so please don't abuse it.

See the sample gallery

As I was covering the iPhone announcement earlier this week, there was a moment in Apple's presentation that made me double-take. Describing the new iPhone Air, the company said: "What might appear to be a single camera is actually our new, powerful, 48 megapixel fusion camera system, which works like multiple advanced cameras in one." It continued on to mention the phone's "2x telephoto," later calling it an "optical quality lens."

Reader: the iPhone Air has one camera. (And it's not new, by the way; it's the same main camera from the standard iPhone 16 and 17). The camera app may present you with a 2x option, but it will be using the exact same optics. It "might appear to be a single camera" because it literally just is.

The Air's "2x telephoto" is really just a crop. Image: Apple

The company pulls the same trick for the regular iPhone 17, calling its main lens "two cameras in one," and takes it even further with the iPhone 17 Pro. That phone has three cameras – a 13mm equiv. "0.5x" ultra-wide, 24mm equiv. "1x" main and 100mm equiv. "4x" telephoto which is an impressive amount to fit in such a small device. Yet Apple claims the phone is capable of "up to 8x optical-quality zoom," and that carrying it is "like having 8 pro lenses in your pocket."*

The iPhone 17 Pro's eight camera modes (produced by its three cameras). Image: Apple

It isn't, and these additional options are not "optical quality," an essentially meaningless phrase meant to evoke the idea of a lens capable of actually zooming in. In reality, it's a crop. Your phone is punching in on the pixels in the center of the sensor, only using a quarter of its resolution to capture the scene.

The phone may be processing it differently than it would a straight digital zoom, but at the heart of it, that is all these "optical zoom" modes are. It's also worth noting that, because of the sensor's Quad Bayer design, that center crop won't necessarily have the detail you might expect from a 12MP image taken on a standard Bayer sensor.

The "optical zoom" phrasing is all over Apple's website, including in the tool that lets you compare between models, which doesn't distinguish between the actual lenses and the crops. Also, while I'm griping, this comparison tool may be one of the most obnoxious pieces of web design I've come across in a while.

This isn't a new trick by any means; Apple has been pretending that cropping is the same as optics for a while now, but that doesn't really make it better. People are still getting confused by it, likely in part because the tech press routinely parrots the "optical quality" phrasing without explaining what's actually happening under the hood.

While Apple's presentation was particularly egregious, it's far from the only phone manufacturer participating in this marketing sleight of hand. Describing the Pixel 10 Pro's capabilities, Google writes that the phone has "optical quality at 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 5x, 10x," despite it physically only having three cameras (the 2x and 10x modes are center crops).

Another example of "optical quality."

Samsung similarly boasts that the S25 has a 50MP wide-angle camera with "2x optical quality zoom," though it at least includes a footnote saying "Optical quality zoom is enabled by the Adaptive Pixel sensor. 3x distance is optical zoom. 2x distance is optical quality zoom." That could tip off attentive readers that there are some liberties being taken, but telling the truth in the footnotes isn't the same as being honest.

While these companies are (generally) careful to modify "optical" with "quality," I'd argue this is still misleading, though I'm sure they all have some convoluted reasoning as to why they call the crop modes that**. While consumers probably aren't buying phones thinking they have more cameras than they actually do, Apple & co's. marketing may trick them into thinking they're not giving up by pressing the button to punch in.

You are giving up something for that extra reach, no matter how hard manufacturers try to make you believe otherwise

But, to put it plainly: they are. All the computational tricks in the world won't make an image taken using a quarter of the sensor the same quality as one taken with the entirety of that same sensor. You are giving up something for that extra reach, no matter how hard the phone companies try to make you believe otherwise.

In all honesty, I don't expect the phone companies to stop using this kind of language, especially if thin phones with fewer cameras continue to be en vogue. What I can hope is that photography enthusiasts and the tech press will stop regurgitating their misleading labels, and instead start educating people on how the different modes actually work.

* - Apple's math: three real, physical lenses (ultra-wide, wide, telephoto), plus two main camera crops to emulate a 28 or 35mm focal length, the "2x" center crop of the main camera and "8x" center crop of the telephoto camera and the ultra-wide's macro mode equals eight options.

** - In its presentation, Apple says the crop modes have their own "dedicated image pipelines." This is almost certainly technically correct, the most annoying kind of correct

Image: Fujifilm / Christian Sorensen Hansen

Over the past year, Fujifilm has been slowly trickling out information about the GFX Eterna, a cinema camera built around the same 100MP "large format" sensor (medium format in photography terms) found in its hybrid GFX 100 II. Today, the company has fully unveiled it, announcing the full specifications, price, release date and more.

The camera, which will officially be called the GFX Eterna 55, uses its massive 44 x 33mm sensor to provide compatibility with a wide array of lens types. It can, of course, be used with medium format lenses made for Fujifilm's GFX mount to record up to 8K footage. But it will also support Fujifilm's large format "Premista" lenses, full-frame lenses, several varieties of anamorphic lenses and even APS-C (Super35 in video terms) lenses.

The sensor has a dual-gain design, using ISO 800 as its low-gain step and 3200 as its high-gain step.

Recording modes and codecs

The camera's sensor size and resolution means you can crop down to an APS-C region and still get >4K footage. Image: Fujifilm / Timur Civan

Several of those modes are carried over from the GFX 100 II, but a few are new. For example, when paired with GFX lenses, the camera now has a 4:3 "open gate" mode that uses the whole sensor area, recording a 3840 x 2880 image at up to 48fps. The APS-C crop mode is also new, and in it, the camera supports recording up to 6.3K/24 or 4K/30.

The relatively low resolution is likely necessary to combat rolling shutter rates. The GFX 100 II takes a glacial 164ms to read out its entire sensor for stills, and has very slow ∼30ms rolling shutter rates in some of its recording modes, especially 8K.

While the GFX Eterna 55 doesn't support recording Raw internally, it can output it via its HDMI port to an external recorder. It supports recording ProRes 422 (in standard, HQ or LT), as well as H.265 and H.264.

Classic Fujifilm colors

When it comes to color, the camera can apply one of Fujifilm's 20 well-regarded "Film Simulation" color profiles to its recorded footage. It can also shoot in the more flexible F-Log 2 and F-Log 2 C and store up to 16 Look Up Tables (LUTs) that you can use to preview what your Log footage will look like after grading.

Fujifilm is releasing LUTs for 10 Film Simulations

In exciting news for Film Simulation fans, the company is also releasing F-Log 2 LUTs for 10 of its color profiles. In theory, that means you'll be able to grade footage from many of its other, more affordable cameras to match its Provia, Velvia, Astia, Reala Ace, Classic Chrome, Classic Neg, Acros and Eterna Bleach Bypass looks. A LUT was already available for the standard Eterna, but this move vastly expands the number of different aesthetics that are available straight from the company.

Cinema camera build

The GFX Eterna 55's design is typical for this class of camera. Image: Fujifilm / Coco Tolentino

In terms of ergonomics and ports, the GFX Eterna 55 is very much a production camera. It has a variable electronic ND filter that can cut down on light by 0.6-2.1EV, SDI, TimeCode and GenLock ports, 3.5mm audio input and output, and two displays: a 5", 6.22M dot one for preview, and a 3" color LCD for displaying settings. The camera also comes with a PL mount adapter, which means you'll be able to attach a wide array of existing cinema and broadcast lenses to it straight out of the box.

The GFX Eterna 55 has the same X-Processor 5 that you'll find in Fujifilm's recent hybrid cameras, which gives it similar autofocus capabilities, including the ability to recognize and track humans, animals, birds, cars, bikes, trains and planes.

Fujifilm says "initial shipments" are slated to begin in October, and that it will cost $16,500.

Photo: Coco Tolentino / Fujifilm

Alongside the final launch of the GFX Eterna 55, Fujifilm has announced the GF 32-90mm T3.5 PZ OIS WR, a stabilized autofocus power zoom designed for video work.

The 32-90mm offers a 25-70mm equivalent range (in photographic full-frame terms) and covers the entire 55mm diameter of the GFX Eterna's sensor, allowing its use with the new camera's open-gate shooting mode.

The lens features geared zoom, focus and iris (aperture) rings for manual operation and use with follow-focuses and servo motor contol, but can also autofocus and be used as a power zoom for run-and-gun operation. The company says the use of high-speed motors and high precision position indicators ensures a high level of responsiveness when using the manual control rings.

The provision of a stabilized, autofocus lens, both of which are unusual in the cinema sphere, is in keeping with the company's attempt to provide shooting options that don't already exist.

The focus, zoom and iris rings are all geared but the lens can also be autofocused and operated as a power zoom from the GFX Eterna 55 body on via the switch near the back of the lens. Photo: Coco Tolentino / Fujifilm

The $6,000, 2.1kg (4.6lb) lens is the first in Fujifilm's lineup to use 13 aperture blades, to ensure point light sources in the back of shots are rendered as circles. The lens takes a 111mm filter, though we suspect it'll be more often used with a matte box.

A complex design utilizes 25 elements in 19 groups, including three aspheric elements and three extra-low dispersion (ED) elements, that the company says will deliver high resolution while "effectively suppressing aberrations." Fujifilm has not specified what type of autofocus motors the lens uses.

The Fujinon GF32-90mm T3.5 PZ OIS WR will be available for pre-order from September 15th, with lenses shipping in October. It will have a recommended price of $5996.

The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max come in three colors. Image: Apple

September is already upon us. In much of the world, that means kids are back to school, fall colors are on the horizon, and it’s time for Apple to unveil its newest iPhones. Apple delivered, announcing the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, and the new iPhone Air, an extra-thin model for minimalists.

While all models received camera updates, photography aficionados will be most interested in the iPhone 17 Pro series, Apple’s flagship models with the company’s best cameras. Here, we compare the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max to the iPhone 16 Pro series to see what’s changed.

Going all-in on 48MP cameras

Image: Apple

Like prior Pro models, the iPhone 17 Pro series uses a triple camera array, with main, ultra-wide, and telephoto modules. The most obvious visual change is a wider camera bump: Apple’s so‑called "forged plateau." I can’t wait to casually drop that gem into my next conversation about iPhone cameras.

The headline news is that all three rear cameras now use 48MP "Fusion" sensors. In Apple parlance, a Fusion sensor is a Quad Bayer design that computationally fuses pixel-binned data with per‑photosite data to create a more detailed image, and also enables cropped virtual lenses like the 2x mode. (Apple claims these virtual lenses are "optical quality," but they're essentially digital zoom with some machine learning based upsampling.) These techniques aren’t unique to Apple; for example, Google uses similar technology on its Pixel phones.

The big hardware upgrade is the new telephoto camera, which features a 4x / 100mm (equiv.) F2.8 lens. This is a notable change from the 5x / 120mm (equiv.) F2.8 lens on the iPhone 16 Pro.

At first glance, this might look like a downgrade, but one criticism some users leveled at the previous model was that the gap between the main and telephoto cameras on the iPhone 16 Pro was too large. As a result, mid‑range zoom relied heavily on cropped regions of the iPhone's main sensor, along with some computational magic, to capture photos. The 4x telephoto narrows that gap, allowing the iPhone 17 Pro to switch to the telephoto module and the full area of its sensor sooner.

"The big hardware upgrade is the new telephoto camera."

Equally important, the new telephoto camera gets a significant sensor upgrade: a 48MP sensor that’s 56% larger than the 12MP telephoto sensor in the iPhone 16 Pro. This should deliver better image quality at the camera's native focal length. It also offers a new 8x "telephoto" capability (200mm equiv.), but it's essentially a virtual camera that uses the central 12MP resolution of the sensor, with the caveat that those 12 million photosites are arranged behind a Quad Bayer filter array, and won't necessarily deliver the same level of detail as a standard 12MP Bayer sensor.

The iPhone 17 Pro's telephoto camera module gains a new 48MP sensor that's more than 50% larger than the 12MP sensor in the iPhone 16 Pro series. Note that the 8x telephoto lens in the image above is essentially a virtual lens that uses the central 12MP of the telephoto sensor, with the caveat that those photosites are behind an oversampled Quad Bayer filter, and won't necessarily deliver the same detail as a standard 12MP Bayer sensor. Image: Apple

The other two cameras are unchanged: a 24mm (equiv.) F1.78 main camera and a 13mm (equiv.) F2.2 ultra‑wide camera, both with 48MP sensors

Apple says the imaging pipeline has also been improved for better results at all zoom ranges and light levels, and uses machine learning models for demosaicing to preserve natural detail better, reduce noise, and improve color, especially in low light. We haven’t had a chance to verify these claims independently

Video: more "pro" than ever

The iPhone 17 Pro series gains ProRes RAW to an already impressive set of video features. Image: Apple

Apple has a track record of integrating advanced video features into flagship iPhones, which have been used for everything from your cat’s Instagram channel to Hollywood motion pictures. The iPhone 17 Pro series has two more: ProRes RAW recording and Genlock.

"Apple has a track record of integrating advanced video features into flagship iPhones."

ProRes Log debuted on iPhone 15 Pro as a high-quality, editing-friendly codec with wide latitude for color grading. ProRes RAW goes further, delivering Raw video with even greater flexibility in post, including the ability to change white balance and "ISO" adjustments (in effect, metadata adjustments that control how linear data from the sensor is displayed).

ProRes RAW capture is supported by Apple’s Final Cut Camera and Blackmagic Camera, with APIs coming for other developers.

Genlock synchronization is supported by the Blackmagic Camera ProDock. Image: Apple

Genlock is a synchronization tool that locks cameras at the frame level, which is critical for multi‑camera arrays and techniques like "bullet time." It’s supported when using the new Blackmagic Camera ProDock, and as with ProRes RAW, Apple is providing APIs to allow broader developer support. These additions join Dolby Vision HDR, 4K/120p, ProRes Log, and ACES, already available on recent Pro models.

Front camera: it’s hip to be square

The iPhone 17 series' new front-facing camera. Image: Apple

Huey Lewis and the News knew it was hip to be square in the ’80s; now Apple joins the party. Across the iPhone 17 lineup (and iPhone Air), there’s a new 18MP front module built around a square multi‑aspect sensor instead of the prior 4:3 aspect sensor.

Apple calls it the Center Stage front camera, and while not providing exact specifications, it says the sensor is almost twice the size of previous modules. The square sensor means there’s no need to rotate the phone to capture landscape or vertical photos and videos, as the camera selectively reads the appropriate region of the sensor regardless of phone position. Apple claims it also allows for improved image stabilization when shooting video.

The Center Stage camera uses a square sensor to capture photos and videos in either horizontal or vertical orientation. Image: Apple

New on-screen controls allow you to switch between landscape and portrait orientation with a tap. Apple’s Center Stage AI can automatically adjust the field of view or rotate the frame for group shots.

Although Apple boasts about the increased size of the sensor, keep in mind that you’re not benefitting from all that extra surface area in each photo, because it operates in a multi-aspect fashion, there will always be some letterboxed areas of the sensor not being captured.

Image: Blackmagic

As we inch closer to the video-focused International Broadcasting Convention trade show later this week, we've seen a cavalcade of companies release news about their motion picture offerings. Blackmagic Design is no exception, and its latest announcement is a long-awaited one: the company is adding support for ProRes Raw to its DaVinci Resolve editing software.

The company cites Apple's recent announcement of the iPhone 17 Pro, which can record ProRes Raw, in its press release, but that's far from the only camera shooting the format. Several of Nikon's cameras, such as the Z6III and recently announced ZR, can also shoot ProRes Raw internally, as can several of Panasonic's hybrid cameras and Blackmagic's own cinema cameras.

While Raw video recording doesn't necessarily offer the same benefits as Raw files do for stills, it's undeniably a feature that some videographers demand. Other editing programs, like Apple's Final Cut Pro and Adobe's Premiere Pro, have had varying levels of support for it for a while now.

DaVinci Resolve has become a big player in the indie editing space

DaVinci Resolve has become a big player in the indie editing space, thanks to its massive list of features that cover most aspects of video editing (sound, color grading, etc.) and approachable pricing; many people can get away with the free version, and the paid version is a one-time purchase rather than a subscription. However, as more cameras gained support for shooting ProRes Raw, its inability to work with the format was becoming a notable omission.

ProRes Raw support is included as part of DaVinci Resolve 20.2, which is a free download for existing users. As usual, the update includes a laundry list of other features, including support for the new R3D NE Raw format that Nikon introduced with the ZR.

Image: MirageC / Moment via Getty Images

Welcome to the third installment of our Question of the week! For the unfamiliar, this series aims to get you all talking about specific photography-related questions in our forums. Our first two questions focused on what you should ask yourself when buying a new camera and a new lens. This week, we're shifting gears a little in light of some recent news.

This week's question: What's your favorite smartphone from a photography perspective?

Yesterday was a big news day, with announcements from Sigma, Nikon, OM System, Canon and Apple. There is quite a bit to unpack, with lots of new gear out soon. That said, the theme of September's Editors' photo challenge is "Pixels in your pocket," asking for submissions from smartphone cameras. Combined with the iPhone 17 series launch, we've been thinking about smartphone cameras more generally.

This week, we want to know what your favorite smartphone is, specifically from a photography perspective. Put operating systems aside and focus specifically on the camera and any photography-related features a phone may offer. We want to hear what brand and model you think is best and why that is. Head on over to our forum post to share your thoughts!

Click here to answer the Question of the week

Sony a7CR | Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG Art | F1.8 | 1/1250 sec | ISO 100 Photo: Mitchell Clark

This week, Sigma announced the 135mm F1.4 DG Art, a telephoto lens designed to produce beautiful portraits. The company claims it's the first full-frame 135mm F1.4 lens for mirrorless systems capable of autofocusing.

We were able to spend some time with it, and made sure to shoot plenty of portraits, both at F1.4 and at other apertures when we felt like having more than just a single eye in focus. We also shot a variety of other subjects, to give you an idea of how the lens performs in various situations.

See the 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; we do so in good faith, so please don't abuse it.

Image: OM System

OM System has announced the M.Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm F2.8 IS Pro, a telephoto zoom lens that's been on its roadmap for years. As a 100-400mm equiv., it provides a lot of reach in a relatively small package, which can be further augmented with a teleconverter, at the cost of light-gathering ability.

As its name suggests, the 50-200mm F2.8 IS Pro is optically stabilized. The company says it's capable of 7EV of stabilization when paired with a camera that has a stabilized sensor, thanks to its sync IS system. Unsurprisingly given the brand's outdoor focus, the lens is also dust and weather-sealed, and has an IP53 rating.

The lens zooms internally and is made up of 21 elements in 13 groups, including one ED element, two Super ED elements and one ED aspherical lens. It also has the company's "Zero Coating II" for reduced flaring, and a fluorine coating on the front element to repel dirt, oil and moisture.

As an entry in OM System's 'Pro' lineup, it can be used with focus stacking and 50fps continuous AF

The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 0.78m (30.7") throughout its zoom range, and can achieve a maximum magnification of 0.5x at 200mm. It weighs 1075g (37.9oz) without its tripod collar, and 1250g (44.1oz) with.

That tripod collar, which has a foot that slots into Arca-Swiss-style mounts, can be removed without any tools, making it easy to unmount the lens from a tripod and use it hand-held. The included hood also has a filter window that allows you to adjust a variable ND or circular polarizing filter without having to take the hood off.

As an entry in OM System's 'Pro' lineup, it can be used with focus stacking and 50fps continuous autofocus on bodies that support those features, such as the OM-1 II and OM-3. It also has a bevy of switches and buttons, letting you control its focus limiter, image stabilization, and the camera's sound settings.

The 50-200mm F2.8 IS Pro is an interesting addition to OM System's lineup, which has a fair number of telephoto zooms. It offers more reach than the 40-150mm F2.8 Pro (especially if you're willing to use teleconverters), as well as image stabilization. Those benefits can also be had with the 150-400mm F4.5 TC1.25X IS Pro, but that lens is substantially more expensive.

The lens will be available starting October 3, and will cost $3699.

Sample gallery

OM System 50-200mm F2.8 IS Pro specifications:

Nikon has announced the ZR, a video-focused camera with Red co-branding. It features the same 24.5MP 'partially Stacked' sensor as the Z6III and inherits many capabilities from the more stills-oriented camera, but gains a new Raw video codec, video-focused UI and internal 32-bit float audio recording – a first in the industry.

Key Specs:

• 24.5MP full-frame 'partially Stacked' CMOS sensor
• Nikon Z-mount
• 7.5EV IBIS
• Up to 6K 60p
• R3D (NE) Raw video codec
• 4" 3.07M dot (1280 x 800px) 1000 nit display
• CFexpress Type B / microSD
• Autofocus subject detection for people, animals, vehicles and planes
• Internal 32-bit float
• No mechanical shutter

The ZR will retail for $2199 – $500 cheaper than the Z6III – and will be available starting October 20th.

Index:

• What's new
• How it compares
• Body and handling
• Video capabilities
• Initial Impressions
• Specifications
• Press Release

What's New

Familiar sensor, new body

While the ZR's heart may be the same as the Z6III, less the mechanical shutter, it's not immediately obvious by looking at it. The camera has a boxy, EVF-less design with a minimal grip, making it easy to mount on a gimbal without having to worry about clearance.

On the back is a massive 4" 3.07M dot display. It's in a video-friendly 16:10 aspect ratio, with a 1280 x 800 pixel resolution. It has a peak brightness of 1000 nits. Nikon says it supports the P3 color gamut, giving you a more accurate preview of what your colors will look like, when working beyond the limits of sRGB.

On the back of the display are the Nikon and Red logos. The ZR is the first camera since Nikon's acquisition of Red to come with both companies' branding (unless you count the Z-mount Raptor's body cap).

R3D (NE) Codec

The ZR includes a new Raw video codec called R3D (NE), alongside Nikon's N-Raw format and ProRes Raw. While it's not exactly the same as the Redcode Raw that Red's cinema cameras shoot, it is made to be cut together with it and uses the same Log curve and color gamut.

Importantly, this means you can use the Look Up Tables, or LUTs, that already exist for Red cameras, making it much easier to cut footage from the ZR and Red's cinema cameras together.

When shooting in R3D (NE), the ZR can capture 6K and DCI 4K at up to 60p, and UHD 4K at up to 120p. These same options are available for N-Raw.

Nikon says that, to start, you'll have to process R3D (NE) footage in a piece of software called Red Cine X Pro to adjust its lightness (labeled as ISO) and color, before "developing" it into an exported file that your editing software can understand. However, we were told there are plans to build native support for it into various editors.

Cine EI

R3D Raw also comes with a different approach to gain. Instead of applying it in-camera based on your ISO setting, the camera will lock it to either its low (ISO 800) or high (ISO 6400) gain step. If you adjust your ISO, the camera will note it as a metadata tag and adjust its metering to capture a different balance of highlights and shadows, but it won't change the amount of gain added to the footage. This approach is comparable to the Cine EI (exposure index) mode Sony includes on its video-focused cameras, and gives you more control over your video's lightness ("ISO") in post. By contrast, N-Raw is shot with variable gain, just like photo mode, so you can't adjust this after the fact.

Alongside R3D (NE), the ZR supports the two other Raw formats the Z6III could shoot: Nikon's own N-Raw codec, as well as Apple's ProRes Raw. Though, as has been the case in Nikon's previous cameras, the widely-supported ProRes Raw option isn't available at the camera's fastest resolutions and frame rates.

Internal 32-bit float recording

The ZR is the first mirrorless camera to include fully-internal 32-bit float recording for audio. If you're unfamiliar, 32-bit float encodes audio in an entirely different fashion than traditional 16 or 24-bit encoding, allowing it to record a much wider range of values than would be possible. Typically it's combined with dual gain mics to ensure both quiet and loud sounds can be captured.

The benefit is that you don't need to finely adjust gain and worry about clipping (other than the point at which your mic itself it overwhelmed). While we've seen other cameras, such as the Panasonic GH7, that support 32-bit float recording with an external XLR adapter, the ZR can do it without one.

What's more, it can be used to record audio from the camera's internal microphone – using OZO directional technology from Nokia – as well as from the 3.5mm microphone jack, meaning you can use it all the time.

Digital hotshoe

While the ZR has a traditional 3.5mm microphone input, it also includes a digital hotshoe with support for audio. Nikon says it's building a compact microphone that will use it, as well as an XLR adapter.

Currently, it's unclear if third party companies will be able to create accessories for it. For example, some DJI wireless microphone receiver packs can plug directly into the digital hotshots on Sony's cameras, making it so you don't have to connect them with a 3.5mm cable. Whether they'll make something comparable for Nikon's system remains to be seen.

How it compares

You only need to look at the ZR to recognize that it's a competitor to Sony's FX range of cameras for film makers. Its lack of viewfinder will draw immediate comparison with the FX3 and APS-C/Super35 FX30 models, but the price is more in line with the FX2. However, the Nikon has a sensor much better suited to video than the FX2, which uses the rather slow to read-out chip from the a7 IV.

Despite the apparent similarities (high res 60p Raw capture), it's not quite a like-for-like competitor to Canon's C50, launched earlier today. That is an unstabilized, actively-cooled camera, rather than a hand-held model. The provision of capabilities such as a timecode socket, desqueeze preview modes for working with anamorphic lenses and the option of bolt-on mount adapters suggests a focus on industry use, rather than beginners and owner-operator outfits.

The Nikon ZR looks essentially like one of Sony's small FX models but without their active cooling. And, in the same way that the FX2 and FX3 share much of their hardware with the more photo-focused a7 IV and a7S III bodies, respectively, the ZR is essentially a video-ized Z6III. So, while you lose the viewfinder, photo-friendly body shape and mechanical shutter, you gain more Raw video options, a hotshoe with digital inputs and 32-bit float audio. Despite this, Nikon has brought the ZR in at a price significantly below that of the Z6III.

But, more significant is that it undercuts the price of the FX2, which isn't built around an especially video-adept sensor, and at nearly half the $4100 asking price of the FX3, which has comparable rolling shutter, but captures native 4K, rather than the Nikon's 6K. In most regards, the ZR looks like a bargain.

Body and handling

The ZR is a relatively compact body, immediately bringing to mind the original Sony FX3, but without the prevalence of 1/4-20 mounting points, and without the finned exhaust ports, as the ZR does not feature active cooling.

It's just as much a Z6III shorn of its viewfinder as anything else, and has a similarly solid-feeling build. It uses the same fibre-reinforced plastic that Nikon has been using for some years, which gives a good sense of solidity without adding excessive weight. This is likely to be a benefit if you choose to mount it on a gimbal.

Ports

The ZR has most of the ports you'd expect from a video camera: USB-C, running at 3.2 speeds and 3.5mm headphone and microphone jacks. The one surprise is the presence of micro, rather than full-size, HDMI. It does make sense given the camera's smaller form-factor, but those planning to routinely plug in monitors or external recorders to this camera will likely wish for a more robust connector.

Its storage mediums are also unconventional. While its CFexpress Type B slot is exactly what you'd expect on a high-end video camera, the secondary UHS-I microSD card slot isn't. It's not fast enough to support most of the formats that the camera can so you can't use it to backup your recordings, nor can it be used to record proxies (though if you're shooting in R3D (NE) or N-Raw, proxy files will be recorded to the main card). Most people, then, will likely just use it for transferring settings and LUTs, or perhaps for shooting stills.

Battery

The Nikon ZR uses the same EN-EL15c battery as the Z6III. It's a 16Wh battery which powers the Z6III to a respectable 390 shots per charge when shooting photos and 100mins of "actual" video shooting, according to CIPA's standardized tests.

Nikon hasn't provided the rated values for the ZR, but we assume they'll be pretty comparable: good, but not exceptionally so.

Video capabilities

As you might expect, Nikon is putting most emphasis on the ZR's Raw capabilities, but for many people, good 10-bit Log footage offers a less data-intensive workflow with plenty of editing flexibility (there's a much smaller difference in editing flexibility between 10-bit Log and 12-bit linear Raw than between JPEGs and Raw stills).

Encoded options

The ZR offers plenty of gamma-encoded video options, in a choice of All-I ProRes 422, 10- or 8-bit 4:2:0 H.265 or 8-bit, 4:2:0 H.264 MP4s.

As is often the case, the most data-intensive options aren't available in ProRes. And, like the Z6III, the ZR needs to crop in to an APS-C / Super35 region to shoot 4K/120 or 100.

Raw options

Even if they're not necessarily the easiest options to capture or work with, the ZR's Raw video modes are likely to be the most eye-catching.

The camera can capture either the Red-derived R3D NE Raw or the existing Nikon N-Raw at up to 6K/60. It has to drop to 30p to utilize the more widely-supported ProRes RAW codec.

It's worth noting the different ways the R3D and N-Raw modes handle ISO. And, while we know the N-Raw format is able to record the metadata to apply lens corrections for those Nikkor lenses that require it, we were unable to test whether the same is true for R3D, potentially adding another complication to your workflow. We hope to test this when production-spec cameras and the processing software are available.

Shutter angle

The ZR is the first Nikon camera to let you set exposure in terms of shutter angle, out-of-the-box (it's was added to the Z8 and Z6III in firmware, post-launch). This is especially valuable on a camera that can shoot 60 and 50 fps footage as readily as it can 30, 25 or 24p, as it means you can switch frame rates and have the exposure time respond accordingly, avoiding the risk of forgetting, and shooting footage with too high or low a shutter speed, after you switch.

Initial impressions

by Richard Butler

The Nikon ZR says Red very prominently on its rear display, but it feels like this was a branding decision made relatively late in its development: the menus, layout and handling of the the camera are pure Nikon in every other respect.

However, while it doesn't feel like it has input from Red running all the way through it, the addition of more Red-like Raw, along with an 'EI' approach to gain, leaving open the option to adjust "ISO" as part of the processing workflow, still represent recognizable input from Nikon's recently-purchased cinema division.

No matter how many fancy Raw options it has, the lack of active cooling is likely to count against the ZR when it comes to its uptake as a principal camera by production houses. But the aggressive price and highly capable sensor bring the possibility of putting more advanced film-making tools in the hands of beginner and student film makers than ever before. Which raises the faint possibility of the ZR playing a similar role to that once performed by Canon's EOS 5D II, in terms of bringing film making to a wider audience.

Whether it ends up being the ZR or one of its competitors that ends up fulfilling this role, it's striking to see how far things have progressed in the 17 years since the Canon was launched: 6K/60 video in 12-bit Raw, with highly flexible 32-bit float audio is a world away from the wobbly, 8-bit 1080/30 that made large-sensor video available to the masses. And that's before we even consider the autofocus and stabilization capabilities of the ZR. But whereas the Canon cost an amount equivalent to $4K in today's money, the Nikon has an asking price of $2199.

We suspect some photographers will look at the ZR and worry that it's a sign that Nikon is more focused on video now, but we don't share these concerns. The ZR is essentially a spin-off from the Z6III: one of the best enthusiast photography cameras we've ever tested (even if you ignore the Rec button), from a company that refreshed its pro, enthusiast, retro and entry-level photo models before embarking on the ZR.

For its intended audience, the ZR looks very impressive on paper, but it's details such as the handling of lens corrections in R3D, comparing the R3D and N-Raw workflows, and finding out how the ZR copes without active cooling that will dictate whether it lives up to that promise. Either way, it's a powerful statement about Nikon's ambition to make the most of its purchase.

Image: Apple

Apple has announced the iPhone 17 Air, which is lighter and slimmer than the company's standard iPhone 17 and 17 Pro. The company says it's only 5.6mm thick, and it weighs 165g (5.82oz). By comparison, the regular 17 is 7.95mm thick and weighs 177g (6.24oz).

However, that pocketability comes at a cost: while Apple's other phones offer several rear-facing cameras, Air only has one. It uses the same 26mm equiv. F1.6 lens and 48MP Type 1/1.56 (48mm²) sensor as the base iPhone 17, with the same ability to crop in on a center region for a 2x zoom.

Apple pitches its center crop feature as a separate camera, but in reality it's simply taking a crop from the center of the camera's sensor. Image: Apple

Apple says it's created a "new image pipeline" for the phone, allowing it to digitally add bokeh to portrait photos without being able to derive depth data from the phone's other cameras.

The iPhone 17 Air also includes the large, square selfie camera found on the other iPhone 17 models. The phone can record from both the front and rear cameras at once. Despite the slimmer size, it retains the Camera Control button introduced on the 16s, which acts as a quick shortcut to launch the camera app, and a multi-functional controller once it's open.

The phone has a 6.5" display, which is similar to the one found on the standard iPhone 17 with 3000 nits of peak brightness and a 120hz refresh rate. However, it has a more powerful A19 Pro chip (though it has one fewer GPU core than the one found in the iPhone 17 Pro, and lacks the fancy vapor chamber cooling), and Apple's custom-designed C1X modem. The Air also uses a new "N1" chip from Apple, which the company says enables Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.

Now that the iPhone 17 Pro is made of aluminium, the Air is carrying the titanium torch for the iPhone. Image: Apple

Its frame is made of titanium, and the front and back are both made of Apple's "Ceramic Shield" glass, though the sheet protecting the display is a newer generation that Apple says is more scratch- and glare-resistant.

Image: Apple

The company says the ultra-thin design is possible because it put the phone's core components into the camera bump (or, as it calls it, "plateau").

The phone starts at $999 for a model with 256GB, coming in between the standard iPhone 17 and 17 Pro.

Image: Apple

Apple has announced its latest lineup of smartphones, the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro. It features two cameras, including an upgraded ultra-wide model, and retains the Camera Control button from the previous generation.

iPhone 17 Pro

Image: Apple

The company says it designed the iPhone 17 Pro "from scratch." It now features an aluminium frame, rather than a titanium one.

While the main and ultra wide cameras appear to have been untouched, the telephoto camera has gotten an upgrade, making it so all three rear cameras are now 48MP. Previously, the telephoto camera was only 12MP. Perhaps more importantly, the sensor has around 56% more area as well: it's now 23.5mm² compared to the iPhone 16 Pro's 15.3mm² telephoto sensor.

Image: Apple

The larger sensor comes at the cost of a little less reach; the iPhone 16 Pro's telephoto camera was a "5x" 120mm equiv., while the 17 Pro's is a 4x 100mm equiv. model. However, the company uses the extra resolution to provide an 8x mode, taken from a center crop of the telephoto camera's sensor, similar to the 2x mode for the main camera.

The new front-facing camera lets you take landscape selfies without having to turn your phone. Image: Apple

The phone also gets a new F1.9 "Center Stage" selfie camera, which Apple says is twice as large as the previous model. While the company is a bit cagey on details, the iPhone 16 had a Type 1/3.6 sensor, which was around 12mm². Presumably, this means the new camera is around 24mm². It's also now 18MP, up from 12, and is square rather than 4:3, letting users take landscape selfies without having to rotate their phone. This isn't the first time we've seen this approach; GoPro has been doing something similar since the Hero 11 Black.

On the video side, the iPhone 17 Pro can now record in ProRes Raw, which Apple says will provide even more room to edit your footage in post. You can't shoot with the codec in the standard camera app, but it's available in the Final Cut Camera and BlackMagic Camera app. Apple has also worked with BlackMagic to create a dock for the phone, which adds Genlock support.

Image: Apple

The phone is powered by the A19 Pro SOC, which Apple says is now attached to a newly-designed vapor chamber, designed to keep the chip performing well without making the phone uncomfortably hot to hold. It moves heat away from the back of the phone and spreads it out across the aluminum frame.

Under that heatsink, the A19 Pro features 16 GPU cores, and the company says it should provide up to 40% better performance than the processor found in the iPhone 16 Pro. It features what Apple says is the "biggest battery in any iPhone," which can power up to 33 hours of video playback on the regular-sized model, and 39 hours on the Pro Max.

The 17 Pro will start at $1099 with 256GB of storage. That's a de facto $100 bump in price compared to the base 16 Pro, which came with 128GB of storage, though it's less than the 256GB iPhone 16 Pro. The Pro Max starts at $1199 for a 256GB model, and is available with up to 2TB of storage.

iPhone 17

Image: Apple

The iPhone 17's camera setup has been improved, with the ultra-wide camera being upgraded to use a 48MP sensor, rather than a 12MP one. The phone will also now default to 24MP output files, rather than 12MP ones. It also gets the upgraded Center Stage selfie camera found in the Pro.

The phone's main camera appears to be the same 48MP model used by its predecessor, with the ability to crop in to the center region for a 2x zoom.

The display is bigger, but there's no longer a larger option. Image: Apple

The iPhone 17 has a 6.3" display (compared to the 16's 6.1" model) with a 3000 nit peak brightness and "ProMotion," meaning it can run at 120Hz, rather than 60. It uses an adaptive refresh rate, so it doesn't spend a ton of power refreshing the screen while nothing's happening. The company has done away with the "Plus" model, which featured a 6.7" display.

The 17 comes with a new processor, the A19, which Apple says is substantially more power efficient than the A18. It starts with 256GB of storage, double what the iPhone 16 started with. The phone starts at $799, the same as its predecessor.

Apple also announced the iPhone 17 Air, a thinner and lighter model than its more typical offerings. You can check out our story about it here.

Image: Tamron

Tamron has announced that it's working on the 25-200mm F2.8-5.6 Di III VXD G2, an "all-in-one" full-frame zoom for travel or those looking for a compact lens with a lot of reach.

The company says the new lens is a follow-up to its 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 Di III RXD, and that the new model "maintains its compact size" while improving image quality. It will also now use linear motors for autofocus instead of a stepping one, and makes big improvements when it comes to macro. The original could only manage 0.32x reproduction at its wide end, while the G2 can do 0.53x.

Tamron says that, like the original lens and its other Di III G2 lenses, the 25-200mm will take 67mm filters. A video posted on the company's YouTube channel also shows that it will have a function button.

The announcement comes on the heels of Sigma releasing its own travel lens, the 20-200mm F3.5-6.3 DG Contemporary. It's exciting to have competition in this space, as it means theres an option with a wider range, and a faster option (though, obviously, there will be some who wish they could have both in one.).

The company says the lens will be available in "autumn" of this year, though there's no word on pricing yet. The press release currently only mentions an E-mount version.

Image: Canon

Canon has announced the EOS C50, a new entry in its cinema camera lineup, which features a completely new full-frame sensor capable of recording 7K 60p. The company says it's the smallest and lightest cinema camera in its lineup.

Despite the size, it packs many of the features people would expect from a cinema camera, such as internal Raw recording, a full-size HDMI port and a fan for active cooling. However, it also gives up an EVF and a stabilized sensor, and doesn't have features found on the larger cinema cameras, such as internal ND filters or support for large, video-style batteries.

Key Specifications:

• 32MP full-frame CMOS sensor
• 7K recording up to 60p (Canon Cinema Raw Lite)
• Oversampled 4K <60p
• 4K 120p
• 3:2 Open Gate recording up to 30p
• 'Dual Pixel CMOS AF II' with human and animal recognition
• Dual gain steps
• CLog 2/ CLog 3
• Included top-handle with 2 XLR inputs
• 3" 1.62M dot (900 x 600px) display

Given its capabilities, the EOS C50 seems to be aimed at small-to-mid-size professional production houses and studios, similar to the Canon EOS C80, rather than at consumers like the vlogging-friendly EOS R50 V.

It will cost $3899 and will start shipping in November.

A brand new sensor

Image: Canon

Canon says the 32MP full-frame sensor in the EOS C50 is a brand new model that it hasn't used in previous cameras. The company didn't explicitly say what technology the sensor used, but given the camera's price point, it's likely not a Stacked model, though the camera reads out fast enough to deliver full-width 7K at up to 60p. We'll have to wait until review units make their way to press to see what kind of rolling shutter rates the camera provides.

The sensor is a dual conversion gain design, and uses ISO 800 as its low gain step and ISO 6400 as its high gain step when shooting in Log.

Video capabilities

Every numbered button on the EOS C50 can be reassigned with one of over 150 functions. Image: Canon

As you'd expect from a modern cinema camera, the EOS C50 supports a wide array of codecs and resolutions, including three quality levels of Canon's Cinema Raw Light. Any of them can be recorded to a CFexpress Type B card. In contrast, the SD card slot is limited to 4K and below, likely making it most useful for recording proxies or other variations (interlaced versions of progressive footage, Long-GOP versions of intra footage, etc).

The EOS C50 supports oversampling its 4K modes up to 60p, and is also Canon's first camera to support 3:2 'open gate' recording, which uses the sensor's full height. The format has become popular on Panasonic's video-focused cameras, as it lets you shoot with anamorphic lenses and gives you more flexibility to re-frame a shot in post, or to crop for both horizontal and vertical delivery.

If you're shooting in DCI or UHD 4K, the camera also lets you simultaneously record a full HD vertical or square crop onto the SD card for quick turnaround shoots. The camera even lets you record the main video in Log, while applying a Rec709 LUT to the cropped footage.

Extra features

Image: Canon

The EOS C50 comes with a detachable top handle that includes two XLR inputs, a zoom rocker, cold accessory shoe and a record button. In addition to the several 1/4-20" sockets built-in to its body, it also has four screws around its RF lens mount for installing heftier adapters, such as the one that lets the camera use PL-mount lenses.

The camera also has a new 'LCD Luminance Boost' mode for its 1.62M-dot 3" rear panel, designed to improve its visibility outdoors and in bright light. Canon hasn't provided an exact brightness rating yet, and the company says that the mode may make your preview less accurate, so you'll want to rely on exposure assistance tools like waveforms and false color overlays when using it.

Canon has added a few features that will make run-and-gun shooting with the camera a bit easier. There's now a flexible zone mode for the camera's autofocus, a digital zoom feature that crops in on footage from a prime lens for a bit of extra reach, and an auto shutter mode, which lets you use it in a full-auto exposure setup when combined with auto-iris and auto-ISO.

As with many of Canon's recent video-focused cameras, the EOS C50 can shoot in HLG or PQ video modes for HDR. It can also be used as a USB webcam without the need for extra software or drivers, thanks to UVC/UAC support.

Ports and battery

The camera has several ports, including USB-C, full-size HDMI, 3.5mm microphone in and 3.5mm headphone out, an E3 remote control terminal and a DIN timecode jack. Canon says the latter will be easier to use than the one on the EOS R5 C, as it's less recessed. You can connect the camera to Frame.io's Camera To Cloud service using its built-in Wi-Fi or a USB-C to Ethernet adapter.

The EOS C50 uses the same 16Wh LP-E6P battery as the EOS R5 II, which it claims will provide up to 90 minutes of continuous Cinema Raw Light recording in the camera's open gate mode. Compressed formats, like XF-HEVC and XF-AVC, will run through it a bit faster.

Canon says the camera should provide better battery life than the EOS R5 C, though if you need more recording time, it's compatible with the BG-R20 battery grip used for the EOS R5, R5 II, R6 and R6 II. The company also says that the camera will work with older LP-E6NH batteries, but that you can expect them to last up to 30 minutes less.

Stills Capabilities

Despite its video focus, the EOS C50 has a fairly capable stills mode as well. It can shoot Raw images at up to 40fps, has a pre-burst capture mode and even supports registered person priority for autofocus. However, unlike cameras such as the Sony FX2 or Canon EOS R5 C, it doesn't have a mechanical shutter, so there's essentially no option to sync with flash, and its rolling shutter performance may be a concern for shooting fast-moving subjects.

The EOS C50 is an interesting release from Canon. With the EOS R5 C, the company essentially took its existing hybrid mirrorless camera, added more cooling and cinema-style menus, removed the IBIS and called it a day. Theoretically, it could've done the same with the EOS R5 II, and wound up with a very capable camera, albeit one that would likely be quite costly thanks to the Stacked sensor.

But that's not the camera we see today. Instead, Canon has built a camera from the ground up, even going through the trouble of developing a brand new sensor for it. The end result, though, is a camera that's very similar in size to the EOS R5 C if you subtract the EVF hump. It seems like Canon is serious about competing in the mid-range production space against the likes of BlackMagic and Sony, and it'll be interesting to see how this camera performs.

Canon 85mm F1.4 L VCM Image: Canon

Canon has announced the RF 85mm F1.4 L VCM, a prime lens offering a classic portrait focal length and fast maximum aperture.

The lens sits between the more expensive 85mm F1.2 lenses and the sharp but slow-to-focus 85mm F2.0 IS STM Macro. The new lens slots into the company's expanding range of F1.4 VCM primes, and is a very close match in terms of size and weight.

Canon says the design does not "rely" on digital corrections, but they can be applied if you want geometric distortion to be fully corrected. The lens is built in the same 76.5 x 99.6mm body as the 20, 24, 35 and 50mm F1.4 L VCM models. It also uses the same 67mm filters.

Its 14 element / 10 group design uses one ultra-low dispersion (UD) element and one molded glass aspherical element. Two of its rear elements have Canon's 'Air Sphere' coating, to reduce flare and ghosting. Collectively these bring the weight of the lens to 636g, making it the heaviest lens in the set. Like its siblings, it features a aperture ring, along with dust and moisture resistant design and fluorine coatings to protect the front element from dirt and water.

The lens has a close-focus distance of 0.75m (29"), giving 0.12x maximum magnification.

The unified size, clickless aperture ring and option to de-click the control ring (at cost, by a Canon service center) are designed to make it well suited to video, as well as stills. The lens also has relatively little focus breathing, which can be essentially eliminated on bodies that support the breathing correction function.

Unlike the 24, 35 and 50mm lenses, the 85mm doesn't have a floating focus element so, like the 20mm, uses only a voice coil autofocus motor, rather than also utilizing a Nano USM motor.

The Canon RF 85mm F1.4 L VCM will be available from October at a recommended price of $1649.

Canon RF 85mm F1.4 L VCM specifications

Image: Canon

Canon has announced the PowerShot Elph 360 HS A (IXUS 285 HS A outside the US) a minor revision to one of its compact cameras that loses a few features compared to its predecessor. At the same time, the price has crept up slightly.

From an imaging standpoint, the PowerShot 360 HS A is the same as the PowerShot 360 HS that Canon released in 2016. It has a 20.2MP Type 1/2.3 (6.17 x 4.55 mm) BSI CMOS sensor, paired with a 4.5-54mm (25–300 mm equiv) F3.6-7 lens, which provides a 12x optical zoom. It still uses the Digic 4+ processor and has a mini USB port just for data transfer; you'll have to charge the battery by taking it out of the camera and plugging it into a charging brick.

Image: Canon

There is one physical change, however: instead of a full-size SD card slot, it now takes microSD cards instead. There are some software differences too. Canon says you'll no longer be able to download images from the camera to a computer over Wi-Fi, nor will you be able to wirelessly send images from the camera to a PictBridge printer, though it can still connect to the company's smartphone app. The company also won't be producing a purple version of the camera this time around; the camera will only come in black or silver.

The PowerShot 360 HS A will retail for $379. That represents a $170 increase from the original's MSRP when it launched in 2016, though only a $20 premium over what the camera has been selling for recently. It will be available at the end of October.

Canon PowerShot 360 HS A Specifications: