Steve Gantlett is on a mission: to find whoever misplaced an SD card full of bird pictures in Norfolk county, England. According to his post on X, formerly Twitter, the card has around 3,700 bird pictures taken in Iceland.

Gantlett posted his original in-search-of on Monday but followed up on Tuesday, saying that the person hasn't been found yet. If it belongs to you, or you know someone who went to Iceland in May and then was in the UK, it may be worth reaching out to Gantlett; he's @cleybirds on X.

If you don't have an account on that site, feel free to leave a comment here and we'll see what we can do. We'll be sure to update this story if the rightful owner is found.

Winners of the 2024 Ocean Photographer of the Year awards

Image: Oceanographic and Rafael Fernandez Caballero

Earlier this month, Oceanographic Magazine announced the winners of its 2024 Ocean Photographer of the Year awards. The outlet says the awards are meant to "shine a light on the wonder and fragility of our blue planet, and to celebrate the photographers giving it a voice."

According to the outlet, over 15,000 images were submitted for consideration. The finalists and honorable mentions for each category are on the Oceanographic website. The images selected will be shown in a gallery at the Australian National Maritime Museum beginning on November 28th, 2024.

The Ocean winner: Rafael Fernandez Caballero

Image: Rafael Fernández Caballero

Winner of the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024 award, Rafael Fernández Caballero, told Oceanographic that he shot the image during the Mexican sardine run in late 2023. He said "For years, I’ve visited the Mexican sardine run, always hoping to witness a whale feeding on a baitball," adding that "it’s not just about the image itself, but about the shared experience and the thrill of being in the right place at the right time."

The winning image depicts a Bryde’s whale opening its mouth to eat a school of fish.

Location: Baja California Sur, Mexico

Wildlife winner: Manuel Castellanos Raboso

Image: Manuel Castellanos Raboso

Artist statement: A triumphant mahi-mahi or common dolphinfish proudly displays its catch amidst a feeding frenzy.

Location: Baja California Sur, Mexico

Fine Art winner: Henley Spiers

Image: Henley Spiers

Artist statement: Born during the great mobula aggregations of spring, juvenile Munk's devil rays remain in the Sea of Cortez long after their parents have left, using the shallow bays of Espiritu Santo Island as a nursery.

Location: Baja California Sur, Mexico

Adventure winner: Tobias Friedrich

Image: Tobias Friedrich

Artist statement: A scuba diver looks tiny swimming in front of a shipwreck.

Location: The Bahamas

Conservation (Impact) winner: Frederik Brogaard

Image: Frederik Brogaard

Artist statement: The second biggest whale, the fin whale, lies waiting for its turn to be butchered at a whaling plant in Iceland before getting sent to Japan.

Location: Iceland

Conservation (Hope) winner: Shane Gross

Image: Shane Gross

Artist statement: A green sea turtle is released by a researcher after being caught while trying to catch sharks.

Location: Seychelles

Human Connection: People & Planet Ocean winner: Zhang Xiang

Image: Zhang Xiang

Artist statement: A traditional Chinese fisher makes their way across the beach as the sunset’s golden haze is reflected in the sand and water.

Location: Fujian, China

Young Photographer of the Year winner: Jacob Guy

Image: Jacob Guy

Artist statement: The algae octopus is an elusive creature.

Location: North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Ocean Portfolio winner: Shane Gross

Image: Shane Gross

Artist statement: Baby plainfin midshipman fish, still attached to their yolk sacs.

Location: British Columbia, Canada

Female Fifty Fathoms Award winner: Ipah Uid Lynn

Image: Ipah Uid Lynn

Artist statement: A whale shark surrounded by a swirling school of fish.

Location: The Maldives

Apple Intelligence can do many things, but the company limits how you can use it to edit photos for now. Image: Apple

Apple has said that the pictures its devices take are meant to depict "something that really, actually happened," a view that starkly contrasts how many of its competitors are approaching photography in the age of generative AI. The quote comes courtesy of The Verge, which asked Apple's vice president of camera software engineering about what the company was trying to achieve with the pictures its phones take.

Here's his full response, which was published in The Verge's iPhone 16 Pro review:

Here’s our view of what a photograph is. The way we like to think of it is that it’s a personal celebration of something that really, actually happened.

Whether that’s a simple thing like a fancy cup of coffee that’s got some cool design on it, all the way through to my kid’s first steps, or my parents’ last breath, it’s something that really happened. It’s something that is a marker in my life, and it’s something that deserves to be celebrated.

And that is why when we think about evolving in the camera, we also rooted it very heavily in tradition. Photography is not a new thing. It’s been around for 198 years. People seem to like it. There’s a lot to learn from that. There’s a lot to rely on from that.

Think about stylization, the first example of stylization that we can find is Roger Fenton in 1854 – that’s 170 years ago. It’s a durable, long-term, lasting thing. We stand proudly on the shoulders of photographic history.

Let's compare that to what Google has said. Isaac Reynolds, a product manager for the Pixel Camera, told Wired that the company is "not just inserting [itself] into this narrow slot built for cameras" during a discussion about its phones' myriad AI-powered features. "You could have a true and perfect representation of a moment that felt completely fake and completely wrong. What some of these edits do is help you create the moment that is the way you remember it, that's authentic to your memory and to the greater context, but maybe isn't authentic to a particular millisecond."

"These edits... help you create the moment that is the way you remember"

Google's phones give you several tools to "help you create the moment that is the way you remember it." The Pixel 9 series is able to use AI to 'expand' a photo, generating imagery beyond the borders of what your phone's camera captured. It can look at a series of group photos and create a composite where everyone is smiling and has their eyes open. It can add the photographer to a group picture. And perhaps most strikingly, it can help you 'reimagine' a photo by adding in AI-generated imagery.

Samsung, Apple's main competitor, has a set of features similar to Google's. The company's Head of Customer Experience told TechRadar that it's trying to serve two different needs: the need to capture a moment as it happened and the need to create something new. Talking about the company's generative AI-powered editing, he said: "When people go on Instagram, they add a bunch of funky black and white stuff – they create a new reality. Their intention isn’t to recreate reality, it’s to make something new."

His explanation of how Samsung meets that first need wasn't free of AI mentions either: "One intention is wanting to capture the moment – wanting to take a picture that’s as accurate and complete as possible. To do that, we use a lot of AI filtering, modification and optimization to erase shadows, reflections and so on. But we are true to the user's intention, which was to capture that moment."

He also addressed the controversy of Samsung phones potentially adding detail to people's pictures of the moon, clarifying what the company considers to be true to the user's intention: "There is no such thing as a real picture. As soon as you have sensors to capture something, you reproduce [what you’re seeing], and it doesn’t mean anything. There is no real picture. [...] You can try to define a real picture by saying, ‘I took that picture’, but if you used AI to optimize the zoom, the autofocus, the scene – is it real? Or is it all filters? There is no real picture, full stop."

We encourage you to read both Wired and TechRadar's interviews in full, but by now, it should be obvious that Apple is thinking about photos very differently than Samsung and Google. Or, at the very least, it wants to give the impression that it is.

Arguably, the iPhone's photos aren't exactly "authentic to a particular millisecond" either; its imaging pipeline stitches together several shots to create images with detail, tones, dynamic range and noise levels that its relatively small sensor wouldn't be able to capture otherwise. That's even true when you're shooting in its supposed 'Raw' mode.

However, even this advanced level of processing isn't the same as letting you move people around in your photos or add a photorealistic herd of cows to them with the tap of a button. And while Apple's planned 'Image Playground' feature will let you use AI to generate images of your friends and family whole-cloth, it will only do so in a cartoonish or illustrated style, at least for now.

That's not to say that Apple has completely opted out of AI photo editing. The company is currently working on launching a feature called 'Clean Up,' which uses Apple Intelligence to remove a subject from a picture, be it a photobombing bird or someone in the background who distracts from whatever or whoever you were trying to take a picture of. The feature is remarkably similar to Google's Magic Eraser, which the company has included on its phones for years.

Before: An unedited photo taken with an iPhone 15 Pro. Photo: Mitchell Clark

To make matters even more uncomfortable, the AI-edited photos do have a metadata watermark, but YouTuber Evan Zhou has already demonstrated that it can be easily removed by editing the EXIF. It is worth noting that the feature is currently in beta, so that may not be the case by the time it's publicly released, though at time of writing that's theoretically only a month away.

After: people in the background were erased using a beta version of Apple's AI 'Clean Up' feature. Is this still a moment that really, actually happened?

The existence of Clean Up is already a little hard to square with the phrasing of 'something that really, actually happened.' Perhaps that's why the company specified that its photos are meant to be a 'personal celebration' of those moments (emphasis ours). But where this quote may really come back to bite Apple is if it adds more extensive generative AI features into its photo editing experience. If the company keeps this stance, it has to decide what amount of editing will make it so a picture no longer represents something that actually happened.

Speaking of tough decisions, Apple will also have to weigh that stance against its ability to compete with other phones. If, in a few years' time, every Android phone comes with a suite of AI tools that let people turn their 'photos' into whatever they want, Apple will have to add similar features if it doesn't want to seem woefully out of step with the times – just like it did with Clean Up...

... won't it? Looking at how much attention tech companies are paying to AI features, you'd think that consumers are beating down their doors, demanding the ability to ask a personal AI to whip up a custom emoji or reduce what used to be minutes or hours of Photoshop work into a task that takes seconds. It seems inevitable that people will start to use and value this tech now that it's built into almost every phone.

It's not clear yet if generative AI-powered editing is a clear win for the companies feverishly adding it to their products

And yet generative AI features – especially ones related to creative pursuits like writing, drawing and photography – are currently contentious in a way that technology usually isn't outside of early 1800s England. The comments sections of articles covering the tech are filled with boosters, but there are just as many, if not more, detractors who view companies' work on generative AI as genuinely harmful. Researchers at Washington State University recently published a report showing that adding the term 'artificial intelligence' to a product or service's description made people less likely to say they'd buy it.

In other words, it's not clear yet if generative AI-powered editing is a clear win for the companies feverishly adding it to their products. And while that list certainly includes Apple, which said its new iPhones were 'built from the ground up' for its AI features, the company has, for now, planted a flag on how it views the tech's role in photography. It remains to be seen whether that flag is planted in granite or sand.

Hot air balloons inflate during the blue hour at the 'Balloons over Bend' balloon festival in central Oregon. Canon EOS R3 + EF 24-70mm F2.8 L II | 24mm | ISO 25,600 | 1/100 | F2.8 Photo: Dale Baskin

It's time to prepare for another DPReview Editors' Choice photo challenge. This time, we're celebrating the 'blue hour,' a period shortly before sunrise or after sunset when the sun is below the horizon but still provides enough light to make the sky appear deep blue in photos.

For this challenge, shoot and submit one or more blue hour photos. They don't need to be taken someplace exotic, but creativity is encouraged. You can enter up to three photos in this challenge.

How it works

DPReview editors will review every photo you upload to an Editors' Challenge. We'll publish our favorites in a gallery and share your work on the DPReview homepage.

If you miss participating in this one, please look out for our next Editors' Challenge.

How to submit your photos

Submissions will open on September 29, and you have until Saturday, October 5 (GMT), to submit entries. User voting will begin after that and will help inform DPReview Editors' picks, but will not select them. They are one factor in our evaluation of submissions.

Enter your photos here

Challenge details

Processing rules:

• Post-processing is allowed, but this is a photo contest, not a post-processing contest. Please, no composite, altered or fabricated images.

Capture date rules:

• Images must be shot after the announcement date of the challenge.

Additional rules:

• Photos must be at least 2400 pixels long on one edge.
• Include a title for your photo.
• Include a caption that tells us the story behind the photo, including when and where it was taken.
• Share what gear was used and your camera settings. If you used an interchangeable lens camera, please tell us what lens was used.
• Tell us about any edits you made in post-processing beyond basic things like white balance, exposure adjustments, etc.
• Please ensure your account's contact information is current; we may contact you if your photo is selected as an Editor's Pick. User voting will inform DPReview Editor's Picks, but will not select them. They are one factor in our evaluation of submissions.
• Our standard copyright and privacy terms and conditions policy applies.

Nikon's 1 J1 (left) and V1 (right), were an attempt at selling interchangeable lens cameras to people that would never consider a DSLR, and were packed with technologies that would become widely adopted in later years. Photo: Richard Butler

If I were to ask you which was the first brand to bring on-sensor phase detection to a mirrorless camera, would you remember that it was Nikon? How about the first cameras to feature dual conversion gain sensors? Yup, again it was Nikon. In fact both these breakthroughs, which have become near essential technologies in modern mirrorless cameras first debuted in the same models: the Nikon 1 V1 and 1 J1.

In fact these cameras also marked the first appearance of the Type 1 (13.2 x 8.8mm) sensors, so were significant in a number of ways.

To me the Nikon 1 highlights that it wasn't clear, early on, who Mirrorless was going to be for, and what it was meant to achieve. Nikon was the sixth brand to enter the mirrorless market, at a time when Olympus and Panasonic were using Four Thirds sized sensors and Samsung and Sony were offering APS-C cameras. It wasn't obvious what role these cameras were going to play: primary cameras for photographers, secondary cameras to work alongside a DSLR system or primary cameras for people who weren't ever going to buy a DSLR.

With the small retractable kit lens (another innovation that's become commonplace), the Nikon 1s could let you take better images than contemporary compact cameras, but in an easier-to-bring-with-you package than a DSLR. Nikon 1 V1 with Nikkor 1 10-30mm F3.5-5.6 @ 12.7 mm | 1/500 sec | F5.6 | ISO 100 Photo: Lars Rehm

Nikon said it was targeting that third group, presumably in an attempt not to undermine its own DSLR sales. But even then, the V1 and J1 didn't give coherent messages about whether they were supposed to be point-and-shoots or cameras you were expected to take some control over. And the prices: $649 for the J1 and $849 for the V1 each bundled with a 10-30mm zoom were higher than the asking price of the Panasonic GF3, which launched for $599 with a lens.

There was much about them that was impressive: their fast-readout sensors gave a taste for where autofocus on Mirrorless cameras was going. Their continuous AF, in particular, was significantly ahead of the pack, as was their ability to shoot Raws at up to 60fps.

However, their interfaces were frustratingly simplistic, with limited customization if you wanted to take control, yet their auto exposure and ISO systems often selected shutter speeds that would almost guarantee subject motion blur, undermining their appeal to beginners.

Read our original Nikon 1 V1 / J1 review

That wasn't the only drawback. The rather unambitious F3.5-5.6 and F3.8-5.6 zooms rather blunted the image quality potential of sensors that were impressively fast but pretty noisy, even for their size (dual conversion gain was a necessity, rather than a nicety for their Aptina sensors).

It's fair to say Nikon was bullish about the performance of the 1 Series Presentation slide: Nikon UK

Nikon did eventually introduce two more photographer-focused lenses: an 18.5mm F1.8 (50mm F4.9 equiv) arrived a year later for around $200, with a ∼$900 32mm F1.2 (87m F3.3 equiv) hitting the shelves another eight months hence. But that's a lot of money just to get access to the camera's full photographic abilities.

The alternative was an FT-1 adapter that let you mount F-mount lenses on the 1 series cameras. But anyone who's questioned how many of Nikon's lenses make sense with the 1.5x crop of APS-C will not have found the situation any better with the 2.72x crop imposed by what Nikon called its 'CX' format.

Nikon stuck with the 1 series for another few years: the last Nikkor 1 lenses were launched in March 2014, with the Sony-sensored Nikon 1 J5 bringing down the curtain on the whole affair a year later. With the benefit of hindsight, a small-sensor Mirrorless system looks like a difficult sell, but you can't blame Nikon for trying to appeal to an audience that didn't want the bulk and inconvenience of a DSLR.

Nikon wasn't alone in creating a small-sensor mirrorless system it later abandonned. Photo: Andy Westlake

Nikon didn't give up on Type 1 as a format, developing a trio of photographers' compacts in 2016 that were promoted and then withdrawn at the eleventh hour. But who knows, maybe these false-starts meant Nikon was able to get up-and-running that bit quicker, when it finally decided the mirrorless was the future for its core audience.

Image: Apple

28 Years Later, a sequel to the 2002 zombie movie 28 Days Later, was reportedly shot using an iPhone 15 Pro Max. Wired did some investigating after seeing an on-set image shot by a paparazzo, and says that "the use of Apple smartphones as the principal camera system on 28 Years Later was subsequently confirmed to Wired by several people connected with the movie." This news comes shortly after Apple spent a considerable amount of time touting the iPhone's capabilities as a video camera during its iPhone 16 Pro announcement event.

Looking at the on-set image posted by Just Jared, you'd be forgiven for not immediately spotting the phone. Like with many 'Shot on iPhone' productions, it's buried beneath tons of gear, including what appears to be an external lens, monitor, matte box, and more.

The rig on the right of the image reportedly contains an iPhone. Image: Just Jared

The movie's director, Danny Boyle, and cinematographer, Anthony Dod Mantle, are no strangers to using cutting-edge and sometimes unusual cameras to make their movies. In 2009, Dod Mantle's work on Slumdog Millionaire – also directed by Boyle – earned him the first Oscar for Best Cinematography awarded to a movie shot mainly using digital cameras instead of film. The pair also worked together on 127 Hours, a movie partially shot on Canon DSLRs.

Perhaps the most relevant precedent is 28 Days Later itself. Boyle and Dod Mantle shot much of it using the Canon XL1, a CCD camcorder that recorded to DV tapes. In the 2012 documentary Side By Side, Boyle talks about how using several of the relatively inexpensive cameras helped them shoot the iconic scene where Cillian Murphy walks through an empty and trashed London despite the production not having enough money to shut down the city.

Image quality-wise, the iPhone 15 Pro – which can shoot Log footage at 60fps in ProRes – is vastly superior to the XL1. Talking about shooting 28 Days Later in Side By Side, Boyle reminisced, saying, "if you were in a wide shot with a small figure in it, they were just two or three pixels. I mean there was nothing there, there was just the color."

Still, shooting 28 Years Later with iPhones is an interesting choice. The original movie had an estimated budget of around $8 million – that wasn't a lot of money to shoot a film with in 2002, so it's easy to see why they didn't want to spend a ton on camera gear. 28 Years, meanwhile, has a reported budget of around $75 million.

While that's relatively modest by today's standards, entry-level cinema cameras have gotten so inexpensive that the crew almost certainly could've afforded them if they'd wanted to use them. For reference, the 2023 sci-fi film The Creator had an estimated budget of around $80 million and was famously shot using a Sony FX3. Alex Garland, the writer of 28 Days Later and 28 Years Later, also recently shot a $50 million movie that made use of the DJI 4D-6K.

We likely won't know why this decision was made until the crew publicly acknowledges the iPhone's role in filming, but when they do, they'll likely talk about it extensively. The decision to shoot on smartphones has historically been a big focus in the PR cycle leading up to the release of films shot on them, such as 2015's Tangerine or 2018's Unsane.

According to Wired, the iPhone wasn't the only camera used to shoot 28 Years Later: unspecified action cameras were also used to film scenes involving farm animals. The outlet says Apple was informed the production would be using iPhones and that the company "provided technical assistance to the moviemakers."

28 Years Later is set to release in June 2025 and will reportedly be the first of three new movies in the franchise. Its sequel is currently being called 28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple, though there's currently no information on what it's being shot with.

Images: llano, OWC, ProMaster

Things have been a bit calmer around the DPReview offices this week, but we've still found a range of new accessories that have hit the market. Before we get to those, though, let's check out the deal of the week:

Old but Gold

If you were hoping that the arrival of the Canon EOS R5 Mark II would make it easier to get the original EOS R5, you're in luck. The camera, which received a Gold award when we reviewed it in 2020, is currently $500 off the list price. You won't be getting the latest and greatest features the Mark II has, such as a stacked sensor for faster shooting, 8K/60 video, or Eye Control AF, but you'll also be saving $1,400.

Another Gold winner from Canon, the EOS R6 Mark II, is also $500 off its MSRP. It's an all-around solid enthusiast-tier full frame camera, and a great deal at $2,000 body-only.

Super fast storage

The Envoy Ultra is for people who need to move a lot of data in a little time. Image: OWC

OWC has announced the Envoy Ultra, which it says is the 'first and fastest Thunderbolt 5' external SSD. According to the company, the drive, which comes in 2TB and 4TB versions, can operate at a blistering 6000MB per second.

Of course, finding a computer that can take advantage of that speed may be difficult – you could count the laptops equipped with Thunderbolt 5 on one hand – but if you plug it into a Thunderbolt 4 computer, you can be sure you're maxing out the port.

The one quirk is that the drive uses a built-in cable rather than a detachable one. On one hand, that means you won't have the frustrating experience of showing up with your SSD but realizing you left the cable to connect it at home. But on the other, it is a bit of a weak point on a drive advertised as 'waterproof, dustproof, and crushproof.' If the cable breaks, you won't be able to simply replace it.

The Envoy Ultra is available for pre-order on OWC's website, and the company says it'll ship in 'late October.' The 2TB model is $399.99, and the 4TB one is $599.99.

On-the-go power

Put your batteries in this battery. Image: llano

This week, FStoppers wrote about an accessory that's not exactly new but could be useful: a battery bank with two slots for Canon LP-E6NH batteries.

The company that makes the gadget, llano, says it can recharge two batteries in two hours. It also includes two USB-C ports that can either be used to charge the bank itself or to charge other devices, such as your phone.

At $109, it's certainly not the cheapest battery bank out there, and it is worth noting that many cameras these days can directly charge from a regular battery bank via USB-C. There are also third-party LP-E6NH batteries from brands like K&F Concept that have USB-C ports built into them, so you don't need a special charger to recharge them.

However, if you're not looking to buy more batteries and your camera can't charge via USB-C, this could be a good way to keep your camera going while away from a plug. The brand also makes power banks for Canon LP-E17 batteries, Fujifilm NP-W126S and NP-W235 batteries, and Sony NP-FZ100 batteries. One thing to note if you're shopping around on llano's Amazon site is that it also makes regular battery chargers that don't have power banks built-in and thus need to be plugged into the wall to charge your batteries.

Redesigned Satchels

Image: ProMaster

ProMaster has updated its lineup of Jasper camera bags, adding a new size of satchel and a rolltop pack. The company says it's redesigned the main compartment, adding sewn-on accessory pouches to the removable insert. The bags also include straps fitted with quick-release buckles to hold a tripod. The bags all have a water-resistant treatment and include a rain cover.

The lineup now includes a $99 'small' 4L satchel, a $119 'medium' 6.8L satchel, and a $139 'large' 10L satchel, which ProMaster says can carry a 16” Macbook Pro along with a camera, lens, and other accessories.

Image: ProMaster

The new rolltop pack costs $159 and has 7.5L of space in its main compartment, with up to 9 additional liters in the rolltop section. Like many camera-focused backpacks, your actual camera gear is stored and accessed on the side of the pack that's facing your back, which adds an extra layer of security.

A new version of ACDSee

Image: ACDSee

ACD Systems has announced a new version of its photo editing and organization software, ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate 2025. As with many products this year, the main selling point is AI – the software now includes an AI-powered upscaling and noise reduction tool, which can be GPU accelerated alongside the rest of Photo Studio's AI features.

The company also says it's improved its AI selection mask and sky replacement tools. Outside of AI, the company has also added tabs to Photo Studio's management mode, the ability to easily copy a file's path, and an activity manager.

A lifetime license for the software, which is set to be released later this month, currently costs $149.99 from the company's website.

Keep an eye out

This week, Petapixel covered a company that's making an electronic variable diffusion filter. While this type of tech has been around for ND filters for a while, this is reportedly the first time it's being used to give footage a dream-like glow rather than to darken it.

The tech is made by LC-Tec, and likely won't be commercially available until next year. When it does hit shelves, though, it could be a way to get a very cool effect when shooting videos.

Shooting for the New York Times

Finally, let's round out this roundup with an educational opportunity – because what is improving your camera setup if you're not also improving your photography skills? This week's piece of photography content comes from YouTuber Justin Mott, who recently released a video detailing how he approached a portrait assignment from the New York Times (via Fstoppers). The video mainly focuses on process, going into detail on planning the shoot, working with the subjects and organizing the photos for delivery afterwards.

Mott provides a link to the final story that has one of his images, as well as a gallery of the photos he took on the assignment. If you're interested in the gear side of photojournalism, Mott also made a video detailing what cameras and lenses he brought to the shoot.

For those who are more into cinematography, YouTuber Luc Forsyth recently made a video going over how he packed and prepped his gear before heading out to work as a director of photography on a relatively high-budget shoot. It also has a fair number of tips that could be useful for working photographers as well.

Click to see last week's accessory roundup

The X100 didn't hit the shelves until early 2011 but it generated interest from the moment it was announced. Photo: Andy Westlake

As part of our twenty-fifth anniversary, we're looking back at some of the most significant cameras launched during that period. Without question, the Fujifilm FinePix X100, announced fourteen years ago today, is one of those cameras.

It wasn't the first large-sensor fixed lens compact: that honor goes to Sigma's DP1, which squeezed one of its 20.7 x 13.8 mm Foveon chips into a small, minimalist body, but it was the first to really catch the collective photography imagination.

Back in 2010, the first Mirrorless cameras were arriving, so you could buy a Panasonic GF1 with the company's 20mm F1.7 lens or an Olympus PEN, also with the Panasonic 20mm F1.7 if you had any sense. But those were the only options if you wanted a small camera with good image quality. Both were, at that point, very obviously a technology and lens system that was still developing.

Beyond these you only really had two choices: you could buy a DSLR if you wanted a Four Thirds sensor or anything larger, or an enthusiast compact based around a Type 1/1.7 chip (7.4 x 5.6mm), which was, at best, one-fifth of the size. Maybe a Type 2/3 (8.8 x 6.6mm) if you were really lucky, but that's still a two-stop difference compared with the smallest-sensor DSLR, simply because the sensor is no better than 1/4 the size. But even the smallest DSLRs weren't particularly small, especially once you put a lens on them.

Read about the subsequent history of the Fujifilm X100 series

With its APS-C sensor and F2 lens, the X100 had an immediate image quality benefit over any existing compact camera, and its self-contained nature meant it made more sense as a second camera for DSLR owners who didn't want to have a foot in two lens mounts by becoming a Mirrorless early adopter.

Then there were its looks. These may not play a part in the end images (though the "is that a film camera?" response from bystanders wasn't a bad way to raise the idea of taking their photo), but they made the camera look and feel a bit special. And who ever said photography is a pursuit based on cold rationality?

This is probably what people mean when they refer to 'classic styling.' Photo: Andy Westlake

So the X100 had appeal on multiple levels: it was one of the smallest cameras to offer such high image quality, it would work alongside other systems without complicating your commitments, it looked good and took really good-looking photos.

It was also, at launch, recognizably a work in progress. Our original review had a page dedicated to bugs and odd behaviors, many of which got ironed-out over a series of firmware updates. It was slow, it was quirky and yet it caused an awful lot of photographers to fall in love with it.

I still have my original X100 and will sometimes still use it (which probably wouldn't have been the case were it not for the significant improvement in autofocus that came nearly three years after its original launch). After fourteen years it really shows its age, and my experience is somewhat spoiled by having spent a considerable amount of time shooting with its five successor models.

The X100 (Rear) has long ago been superseded but its most recent descendent, the X100 VI (Front) is still very much in demand. Photo: Richard Butler

We've seen many attempts by other manufacturers in this space: Leica's APS-C X series pre-dated the X100 but seems to have been superseded by the full-frame Q models, while the 28mm equiv Nikon Coolpix A and X70 and XF10 from Fujifilm seem to have fallen by the wayside. Only Ricoh's move of its much-loved GR premium compacts to APS-C seems to have had anything like the longevity of the X100 series. And, while there's plenty of skepticism from people who aren't 35mm equiv fans and those put off by its recent five minutes of fame on TikTok, the X100 started a series that's still very much in demand, fourteen years later.

The latest trick for the Osmo Action series is subject-centering. Image: DJI

DJI has announced a new action camera, the Osmo Action 5 Pro. The announcement comes hot on the heels of GoPro's recent unveiling of its new flagship camera, the Hero13 Black.

The Osmo Action 5 Pro can record 4:3 4K at 120fps, something the Action 4 could only achieve at 16:9. The company also says the camera has 'excellent low-light performance,' with the ability to shoot up to 4K 60fps in low light.

There's also a separate 'SuperNight' mode, which shoots up to 4K/30 footage at 16:9. The company says the mode uses 'AI noise reduction algorithms' to 'overcome the darkness in extremely low-light environments.'

The camera now has a subject tracking mode, which works similarly to modes we've seen in vlogging-focused cameras from DJI and Sony. The camera can detect a subject and keep them centered in the frame, adjusting the composition as they move. Because this mode involves cropping in, it's unsurprising it's only available at resolutions up to 2.7K.

DJI says the Osmo Action 5 Pro uses a 'next-gen' sensor.

The Action 5 Pro is built around a 40MP Type 1/1.3 (10 x 7.5mm) sensor with 2.4 μm pixels. While it's the same size as the sensor in the Osmo Action 4 – albeit with nearly four times the resolution – it's substantially larger than the Type 1/1.9 (6.3 x 5.5mm) sensor GoPro has been using for the past few years. DJI also claims its sensor can capture up to 13.5 stops of dynamic range.

In front of the sensor is an F2.8 lens with a 155-degree field of view. DJI says the lens can focus as close as 35cm (approx. 14"), slightly closer than the Osmo Action 4 could.

The Osmo Action 5 Pro is waterproof to 20m (65.5ft) without a case. Images: DJI

DJI also claims the Action 5 Pro will last substantially longer than its predecessor. Not only is its battery physically larger – 7.5Wh versus 6.8Wh – but its processor is also now built on a more efficient 4nm process. The company says it'll be good for 'up to 4 hours of continuous use' and that it can even 'reliably record video for up to 3.6 hours' in temperatures down to -20°C (-4°F). The Action 5 Pro also has quick charging, with the company saying you should be able to get up to two hours of recording time with only 15 minutes of charging.

The Action 5 Pro now includes 47GB of onboard storage, which can be expanded with a microSD card. You can offload footage from it via Wi-Fi 6 or USB; like its predecessor, the Wi-Fi connection can also be used for live streaming.

The dual screens on the Action 5 Pro are a little larger and brighter than the previous generation's. The Action 4 had a 3.6cm (1.4") front screen and a 5.7cm (2.25") rear screen, which both run at around 750 nits. The Action 5 Pro's front screen is now 3.7cm (1.46") with a max brightness of 800 nits, and the rear screen is 6.4cm (2.5") with a peak brightness of 1,000 nits, which should make it a bit easier to see in harsh sunlight.

The Osmo Action 5 Pro is available today. The standard kit* will cost $349, while an 'Adventure Combo' will cost $449 and includes a mini quick-release adapter mount, battery case, and 1.5m extension rod.

* The standard kit includes the Osmo Action 5 Pro, a battery, a protective frame, quick release adapter mount, curved adhesive base, locking screen, USB type C to C cable, a rubber lens protector, glass lens cover, and anti-slip pad.

Image: Hasselblad

Hasselblad has announced a limited edition of the X2D 100C called the Earth Explorer. It comes as a kit that includes a 'Tundra Brown' version of the medium format camera, a 55m F2.5 lens, limited-edition camera strap, UV filter, two batteries, and a charging dock.

The company says the camera's color was inspired by "the resilient ecosystem of the Nordic tundra," but it's not the only thing that'll differentiate the limited edition version from the regular X2D. The camera will also have a different startup screen that displays an icon of mountains, and the four-digit serial number will be engraved on the side of the body. Hasselblad says it'll only be selling 1,000 units worldwide.

Both the camera and the strap are laser-engraved. Image: Hasselblad

The strap is also limited edition and is made from 'eco-friendly recycled plastics' and 'high-tech, soft, skin-friendly fabric.' Like the camera, it will have the 'Earth Explorer' branding engraved on the inside of the strap.

The Earth Explorer logo on the box will also display when you boot up the camera. Image: Hasselblad

Getting the limited edition won't come cheap. If you were to assemble a similar kit with the regular versions of Hasselblad's products, it'd cost a touch over $12,000 US. The Earth Explorer kit, meanwhile, comes in at $13,999 or €14,999 in Europe. The company says it's available 'online and at selected retail stores worldwide.'

Images: Tamron

Tamron has announced a firmware update that it says will 'significantly' improve the autofocus tracking performance on the Sony E-Mount versions of its 70-300mm F4.5-6.3 Di III RXD and 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD lenses. The company's press release says the lenses should now 'keep excellent track of moving subjects.'

The updates also add support for Sony's AF Assist function, which lets you manually focus even when autofocus is enabled. That should be handy for videographers who want to use autofocus to initially grab focus but then rack focus to something else in the frame, provided they have a Sony body that supports the feature.

The firmware is now available to download from Tamron's site.

Image: Apple

It's that time of year: Apple has announced its new suite of iPhones, raising the question of whether current owners should upgrade or stick with their older model.

There are many factors to consider – those still using the Lightning port could potentially justify an upgrade for USB-C alone – but we'll mainly focus on the cameras for this article. This year, more than ever, the price premium on the Pro phones doesn't make much sense if you're not using them for photography and videography, so we'll be trying to answer a straightforward question: will upgrading let you take better pictures?

Note: unlike last year's models, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max appear to have identical camera setups. We'll talk a lot about the 'iPhone 16 Pro's' cameras in this article, but anything we say will apply to both size options.

Scenario 1: You have an iPhone 15 Pro

We'll start by comparing the 16 Pro to the last-generation 15 Pro since it lets us talk about the brand new features that will be an upgrade over the 14 Pro and 13 Pro too. However, we'll start by saying it's hard to recommend the year-over-year upgrade unless you have a specific use case that requires the new features.

Even Apple quietly admits this; during the announcement, whenever it compared the iPhone 16 Pro to previous models, it was usually put up against the iPhone 14 Pro instead of its direct predecessor. The iPhone 15 Pro is also the only other phone in Apple's lineup capable of running all the Apple Intelligence features, which are the main selling point of the iPhone 16 line.

Image: Apple

However, there are still some improvements to be found in the iPhone 16 Pro's camera system. Apple says that the 16 Pro uses a 'second-generation' sensor for its main camera, which can read out data two times faster, 'enabling zero shutter lag' even when taking Raw photos.

The 5x, 120mm equiv. camera from the 15 Pro Max is also now available on the regular-sized iPhone 16 Pro, replacing the 3x, 77mm equiv. camera from the 15 Pro. That's not necessarily a clear win, though. The extra reach may be useful if you often shoot far-off subjects, but it makes it a little bit harder to take portraits; you'll have to stand further away from your subject if you want to get the classic 80mm portrait framing, which will also compress the foreground and background more. However, if you want a 5x camera in a smaller phone, the 16 Pro is Apple's first model to offer it.

iPhone 16 Pro cameras vs iPhone 15 Pro cameras

There are a few other minor improvements to the 16 Pro's camera system compared to the 15 Pro's. It can now shoot 3D-esque Spatial Photos, and Apple has upgraded the Photographic Styles system, which lets you apply different looks to your photos straight out of camera. Previously, they were baked-in, meaning you couldn't shoot a picture with the 'Warm' Photo Style and then change it to the 'Cool' or 'Rich Contrast' one - now you can.

The 16 and 16 Pro also have slightly larger screens than their predecessors, which makes taking and viewing photos nicer, and the QuickTake video that you can access from the photo mode is now 4K60p instead of 1080p30p.

The most significant changes relate to the iPhone 16's ultrawide camera and video modes. That brings us to a few reasons you might be able to justify an upgrade.

Scenario 1a: You're a macro/wide-angle photography enthusiast

The ultrawide camera used for macro shots now has a much higher-resolution sensor. Image: Apple

The iPhone 15 Pro's 0.5x, 13mm equiv. F2.2 ultrawide camera uses a 12MP, 5.6x4.2mm sensor and produces broadly disappointing photos. While the ultrawide camera on the iPhone 16 Pro appears to be using the same size sensor, it's now using 48MP quad-Bayer technology.

This will allow for pixel binning, though the real-world effect remains to be seen. Given that the sensor is the same size and will likely bin down to the same resolution, it's hard to imagine there being much of an improvement in low-light performance, which is where the previous iteration of the camera struggled.

If the 0.5x camera is your favorite, it's probably worth waiting for the reviews to see how much of a difference the resolution bump makes. We'll be sure to update this article as soon as we can with some wide-angle comparison shots.

Scenario 1b: You are going to shoot The Weeknd's next music video with your iPhone

The Weeknd's new music video is the latest addition to the Shot On iPhone gallery. Image: Apple

The next-generation sensor in the iPhone 16 Pro's main camera enables a big jump in video performance: it can now shoot 4K footage at 120fps, double the speed of the previous Pro. You can even shoot at 120fps in Apple's ProRes codec, provided you're recording to external storage via USB-C.

Apple also claims the 16 Pro has much-improved audio with the addition of a 'studio-quality' four-microphone array. The microphones allow for wind noise reduction and some fancy software tricks called 'Audio Mix' that enable you to fine-tune how a video's subjects sound.

As with the iPhone 15 Pro, Apple showed off the 16 Pro's video prowess by having a famous artist shoot a music video with it. This year, it was The Weeknd, whose video for 'Dancing in the Flames' (seen above) was shot with the iPhone 16 Pro, making heavy use of the new slow-motion features. Feel free to judge how the footage fares, though do keep in mind that the video was shot by top-tier professionals using thousands of dollars of lighting and grip equipment.

Scenario 1c: You can't live without the Camera Control

Image: Apple

We get it: new buttons are exciting, especially when they're providing a new function. Apple's new Camera Control button promises to let you launch the camera from anywhere, will act as a shutter button once you've opened the app, and you can slide your finger across it to adjust parameters like the focal length or aperture.

Apple also promised to improve the button via a software update that will make it act like a traditional shutter button that locks focus and exposure with a half press, and takes a picture with a full press. The Camera Control will also be available for third-party developers, so you may get some milage out of it even if the default iOS camera app isn't your go-to.

There will be some people who call the Camera Control a gimmick, and who say that there's no way it'd be worth upgrading from a perfectly good phone that's only year old for it. And sure, it's possible it won't end up being very useful because of its placement, or its relatively complicated control scheme, which mixes gentle taps and press with swipes.

But if it actually improves the ergonomic experience of taking pictures with an iPhone, it could a real nice-to-have - though it's up to you whether it's 'immediately upgrade' compelling, or 'look forward to it the next time you get a new phone' compelling.

Scenario 2: You have an iPhone 14 Pro

The iPhone 14 Pro introduced the 48MP, 9.8x7.3mm quad-bayer sensor that Apple has iterated on for the iPhone 16 Pro, but that doesn't mean that there haven't been improvements in the past two years. The 16 Pro's faster readout speeds should provide the same speed boost compared to the 14 Pro as they did to the 15 Pro.

The lenses on the 16 Pro's cameras also have a variety of coatings not found on the 14 Pro, and, similar to the 13 Pro, the 14 Pro is stuck with the slower Lightning port instead of the near-universal USB-C one found on the 16 Pro.

The 16 Pro can shoot slow-mo ProRes 4K. The 14 Pro can't. (The 128GB 14 Pro can't shoot ProRes 4K at all; it's limited to 1080p.) Image: Apple

For the main camera, many of the iPhone 16 Pro's upgrades lie in software, not hardware. The 14 Pro can only shoot 4K ProRes at 30fps, which rules out the possibility of using it for slow motion like you can with the iPhone 16 Pro's 120fps 4K mode. The 16 Pro also has a 'next-generation' portrait mode, which Apple says offers '2x better low-light performance.' Given that the iPhone 16 Pro's camera hardware isn't taking in any more light, that's almost certainly down to changes in how it handles multi-shot photography.

By default, the 16 Pro will also bin images to 24MP, versus the 12MP that's the only option for the 14 Pro. (Do note that it's not available in all modes, though; night mode and flash photos are still binned to 12MP.)

The ultrawide camera is one of the iPhone 16 Pro's most notable upgrades. Image: Apple

The iPhone 16 Pro's other lenses have more notable improvements. The iPhone 14 Pro's ultrawide camera is the same as the one found on the iPhone 15 Pro, so any jump in quality provided by the 48MP sensor will apply here as well.

The 16 Pro's telephoto lens also has a larger sensor, and tighter focal length; the 14 Pro's 3x (77mm equiv.) camera has a 4x3mm sensor, where the 16 Pro's 5x (120mm equiv.) camera bumps that up to 4.5x3.4mm - a 27.5% increase. Both cameras produce 12MP images, and have F2.8 lenses.

iPhone 16 Pro cameras vs iPhone 14 Pro cameras

Overall, the 16 Pro's cameras are iterative improvements over the 14 Pros. However, if you take tons of images on your phone or are serious about video, there's probably enough there for you to notice a difference. If you're more of an occasional shooter, though, it may be worth sitting this one out.

Scenario 3: You have an iPhone 13 Pro

If you have an iPhone 13 Pro or one of its predecessors, the 16 Pro's cameras should be an upgrade in pretty much every way. The 13 Pro has a 12MP F1.5 main camera, while the 16 Pro bumps the resolution up to 48MP. While its F1.78 lens is slower, its 9.8x7.3mm sensor also has 65% more area versus the 13 Pro's 7.6x5.7mm sensor – that equates to around 0.3EV more light gathering ability, even with the brighter aperture.

That extra resolution enables a lot of camera features on the 16 Pro that the 13 Pro doesn't have. The most obvious is the pixel-binned 12MP or 24MP shots, as well as the 48MP ProRaw mode. It also allows for the 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm 'faux-cal' lengths for the main camera, which work by taking different crops off the sensor. The iPhone 13 Pro also lacks the '2x' option, which crops in to the 12MP middle section of the sensor.

The 16 Pro's main camera is a notable improvement from the 13 Pro's. Image: Apple

The ultrawide and telephoto cameras also use larger sensors, and the 16 Pro's 5x camera offers a 120mm equiv. focal length compared to the 13 Pro's 3x 77mm equiv.

The iPhone 16 Pro also includes the latest iterations of Apple's image stabilization and HDR systems, though the company hasn't said much about what benefits they offer over the predecessors found on the iPhone 13 Pro.

iPhone 16 Pro cameras vs iPhone 13 Pro cameras

The 16 Pro has several video features not found on the 2021 model, such as Apple Log, Spatial Video, the super-stabilized 'Action Mode,' and access to 60 and 120fps frame rates when shooting 4K. And if you're shooting a lot of video and want to offload it to a computer, the iPhone 16 Pro will offer a much better experience; its USB-C port can transfer files at 10Gbit per second. That's 20 times faster than the USB 2.0 speeds that the 13 Pro's Lightning port provides.

Outside of the camera, the 16 Pro has a lot of quality-of-life improvements. To name a few, there's satellite SOS, tougher front glass, faster charging, an always-on-display and both the Action button and the new Camera Control button. It's also 5g lighter despite being physically larger because its frame is made of aluminium and titanium instead of stainless steel.

None of this is to say that you must upgrade your iPhone 13 Pro. In fact, two of the winning photos from this year's iPhone Photography Awards were shot with an iPhone 13 or 13 Pro. If you're happy with your phone, by all means keep using it. However, if you do feel ready for an upgrade the iPhone 16 Pro should offer enough features and camera improvements to make it well worth it.

The EOS 5D Mark II was also one of the first mass-market cameras to use the ‘Mark II’ naming system. In an era of R5 IIs, K-3 IIIs and a7RVs, this has become the norm, but it wasn't standard practice at the time.

Just five days after the arrival of first Mirrorless camera, and 16 years ago today, Canon revealed a camera that would help define the final years of DSLR dominance: the EOS 5D II.

This was no simple upgrade to the original EOS 5D, though in a move from 12.8MP to a better performing 21MP CMOS sensor, the addition of an improved viewfinder and the gain of features such as liveview, it was that, too.

What famously set the 5D Mark II apart was its ability to capture Full HD video, the first DSLR to do so. The Nikon D90 had added 720p HD capture about two weeks before but it was the Canon that caught the world’s imagination.

This was helped by the option to download the Cinestyle color preset developed by film processing company Technicolor and a successful PR stunt that involved an entire episode of the TV show ‘House’ being filmed using the camera.

In hindsight, the 5D II is a relatively basic filmmaking tool: all is footage is 8-bit, so has limited grading latitude (an official Canon Log option wouldn't arrive until the Mk IV), there were no tools such as focus peaking to help with focus and to monitor your sound you needed all manner of adapters to get at the audio feed from the A/V socket. It didn't even gain full manual exposure control in video mode until a post-launch firmware update.

The 5D II became a popular video camera at colleges and schools around the world

But the 5D II became a popular video camera at colleges and schools around the world, putting the flexibility and ‘look’ of a full-frame sensor in the hands of budding film makers and letting them use relatively affordable EF lenses.

Beyond this, the Magic Lantern open source software project created an extensive array of video support tools to boost the 5D II's capabilities way beyond those that Canon had developed for it, including focus peaking, false color and control over the A/V output level.

There are plenty of people that used the 5D II solely as a stills camera, and it certainly represented a major step forward, compared with its predecessor: it had a larger, higher resolution screen, a sensor happier to shoot at higher ISOs and could shoot 30% faster than the Mark 1, despite the much higher pixel count. It also gained features that we take for granted, such as Auto ISO.

The newer sensor in the 5D II allowed a maximum expanded ISO of 25,600: three stops higher than on its predecessor. Image: Don Wan

Its top speed of 3.9fps looks disappointing once you've got used to the option to capture the 30fps burst that its spiritual successor, the EOS R5 II can manage. But, even though 4K and 8K modes have become commonplace in the sixteen years since the 5D II’s launch, a well lit, well-exposed and interesting video shot with the 5D II still looks pretty great, even on a big TV.

In the original review we referred to its video capabilities as its ‘party trick.’ Well it proved to be quite the trick, and over a decade and a half later, we’re all still at that party.

Image: FX

Shogun, the FX show set in feudal era Japan, has broken the record for the most Emmys won by a show in a single year, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The show won 18 awards, including the one for 'Outstanding Cinematography For A Series (One Hour).'

The cinematography nod is particularly interesting, especially for cinematography and camera nerds. Even if you've only watched the trailer, it's clear that Shogun has a distinct visual style. The show is shot on anamorphic lenses with lots of character; in many shots, the frame is filled with aberrations, the background has a strong swirling look (fans of vintage lenses will be familiar with the effect), and the edges of the frame are blurry or even downright vignetted.

The show uses a lot of shallow depth of field and interesting bokeh. Image: FX

Thankfully, the show's creators have gone into a lot of detail about the how and (perhaps more importantly) why of the aesthetic decisions that impressed the Television Academy. FX's website even has a page dedicated to the show's cinematography, which mainly focuses on the choices made around lighting a show set before the advent of electricity.

American Cinematographer provides a deeper look into the technical aspects of how they shot the show. According to the feature, the cinematographers relied heavily on the Sony Venice and FX3, outfitted with several varieties of Hawk anamorphic lenses. The article also goes into even more lensing and lighting choices and contains a plethora of interesting details. For example, the show was apparently shot at 6K but cropped to 4K to meet FX's delivery standards while maintaining a 2.0:1 aspect ratio.

The American Society of Cinematographers also had Sam McCurdy, who shot five episodes of the show, on its interview series. During the conversation, he talks about the lightning and grip setups (complete with diagrams), 'butchering' light bulbs to get a convincing simulation of firelight, and how the story informed the show's aesthetic, down to which aperture was used for certain shots.

Shogun's look has its detractors, with some commenters going as far as saying it made them think something was wrong with their TVs. But even those who didn't like it would likely agree that it's great to live in a time when we can get such an in-depth look at the creative process behind such a critically acclaimed show. Television hasn't always gotten the behind-the-scenes treatment that movies have, but fans of the medium or even people looking to get a job in the industry now have great resources available from the people out there making it.

Image: Halide

It's now even easier to replace your iPhone's default camera app with Halide, a third-party option that offers advanced camera features, such as manual shutter speed and ISO control, histograms and even a mode that claims to strip away almost all of Apple's AI image processing. Halide's 2.16 update, out today, lets you add it as a control on your lock screen, which means you can use it to take pictures without unlocking your phone.

Previously, Apple's default camera app was the only one you could use without entering your passcode or using biometric authentication such as FaceID or TouchID. That gave it a speed advantage over third-party options.

Apple used to add an extra step if you wanted to use a third-party camera app

Halide and apps like it could provide lock screen widgets that live under the clock, but unlike the shortcuts at the bottom of the screen, those would only work after you'd unlocked your phone. The tiny bit of extra time and friction could be the difference between getting the shot and missing it, and that's the problem Halide's latest update lets you sidestep.

The one catch is that you'll have to update to the brand-new iOS 18 to get this functionality. Once you're running the latest OS and have downloaded the new Halide update, you can long-press on your lock screen, then press the 'Customize' button. From there, tap your lock screen again, then tap the remove button on whichever shortcut you'd like to replace with Halide. (Camera and Flashlight are the default shortcuts.) It should now be a blank '+' button that you can tap to bring up the Controls selector, which you can use to select Halide from the Capture section.

Selecting Halide from the Capture section will let you launch it straight from the lock screen.

After doing this, you'll be able to jump straight to Halide from the lock screen without having to authenticate with your passcode or biometrics (though you'll still have to unlock your phone if you want to do anything else with it). You can also still access the default camera app from the lock screen by swiping left from the right edge of the screen.

If Halide isn't your preferred camera app, fear not; other developers should also be able to implement this feature, providing they update their apps for iOS 18.

While the lock screen shortcut is the fastest way to access the camera on Apple's current phones, that will change with the upcoming iPhone 16 and 16 Pro, which include a dedicated 'Camera Control' that will launch the camera. While Apple has said that you'll be able to use the button's touch sensitivity in third-party apps to adjust various settings, it's currently unclear whether you'll be able to launch those apps with it as well. If Apple only allows you to launch its app with the control, it would put the stock app back on top, at least in terms of how fast you can open it.

You can download Halide via the App Store. It costs $19.99 a year, or $2.99 a month, and is also available as a $59.99 one-time purchase.

The APS-C chip in the Samsung NX1 was the largest BSI CMOS sensor we'd then seen. It would be another four years before one was used again, in the Fujifilm X-T3. Photo: DPReview.com

Ten years ago today, in 2014, Samsung announced its flagship mirrorless camera, the NX1. Built around Samsung's own 28MP APS-C BSI-CMOS sensor, the NX1 arrived with a level of performance not previously seen in a mirrorless camera.

The NX1 featured a hybrid autofocus system with phase-detect AF points across 90% of the frame, 15fps burst shooting (along with an AF system that could keep up), 4K video and impressive wireless and Bluetooth connectivity. And, at a body-only price of $1499, it arrived at a competitive price for its class.

When I was assigned to lead the review of the NX1, Samsung was barely on my radar as a camera manufacturer. Of course, I knew Samsung manufactured cameras, but like many serious photographers, I had never used one. To be blunt, I was blown away by what the NX1 could do, and it turned out to be the most capable mirrorless camera I had experienced to date.

I had used quite a few mirrorless cameras before the NX1, but the NX1 reset my expectations for what a mirrorless camera could do, and it felt like the first one that had the potential to replace a high-performance DSLR. The biggest compliment I could give it was that after using it for a short time, I stopped thinking about the fact that it was a mirrorless camera and just got on with the business of taking photos. I was so impressed that I picked the NX1 as my 2014 Gear of the Year.

You wouldn't mistake the NX1's 2.76M-dot OLED viewfinder for an optical viewfinder. Still, the implementation was good enough that after a short time, I stopped noticing it and focused on taking photos, a task for which the EVF was exceptionally well-designed. Photo: Dale Baskin

The NX1 built a reputation for pushing the limits of mirrorless technology, and over the years, it acquired an almost mythical status in camera lore. Even now, I hear people speculate about what the camera industry might look like today if Samsung had remained in the business.

To be clear, many modern mirrorless cameras can run rings around the NX1 thanks to technologies like AI-based autofocus, stacked sensors, and video tools like Log gamma and internal ProRes or Raw recording. However, the NX1 was ahead of the curve, and it took several more years for those other advancements to come to fruition.

"The NX1 built a reputation for pushing the limits of mirrorless technology, and over the years, it acquired an almost mythical status in camera lore."

How far ahead of the curve was it? Far enough that many people didn't even have computers capable of playing the H.265 video files the camera produced. The NX1 was the first time I can remember listing the same feature – the H.265 (HEVC) video codec – as both a pro and a con in the conclusion: pro because the codec was more advanced than the H.264 codec in everyday use at the time, pointing the way to the future, and con because many users had to run the NX1's video files through third-party software to convert it to a format that they could open on their computers.

The NX1 was by no means perfect. In our review, I called out the over-sensitive touch screen and some awkwardly located buttons, but these weren't significant shortcomings.

One factor that impressed us was Samsung's commitment to improving the camera through firmware updates. It provided several updates in the months after launch, some of which added significant features or performance improvements, particularly for video.

I was so impressed by the NX1 that I picked it as my 2014 Gear of the Year. Unfortunately, Samsung exited the camera market a few months later.

In fact, a firmware update was responsible for delaying our review of the NX1 by a couple of months. About three days before our first review was set to publish, Samsung sent us a new firmware update that was only days from public release. It changed and improved the camera so much that it rendered much of our review obsolete. As a result, I had to retest almost every major feature on the camera, a task that took several weeks, and I essentially wrote an entirely new review, which is the version you read on DPReview.

Despite the fact that Samsung exited the dedicated camera market years ago, I have to admit that I still sometimes wonder how the industry might be different today if Samsung had stayed the course, creating competitive products that pushed the limits of what technology could do in a mirrorless camera. Of course, we'll never know, but it's certainly fun to speculate.

DPReview Editors' Choice photo challenge: top picks

For our most recent Editors' Choice photo challenge, themed 'The Dog Days of Summer', we asked readers to share pictures showing how they embraced summer's hot, sweltering days. After submissions closed last week, our editors spent several days carefully reviewing all the entries and collectively selected our favorites.

With over 300 entries to choose from, our task was challenging, and we were reminded of how much talent exists within our DPReview community. Numerous photos could have made the cut – many more than we can present here – but we had to whittle it down to a manageable number.

On that note, we present our top 20 picks from this Editors' Choice photo challenge. And if we didn't get to feature your photo this time around, watch for our next photo challenge!

Sunset smile

Photographer: luka3rd

Description: My daughter enjoying the last sun rays on one of the summer evenings. It was taken in the village of Nea Skioni in Greece during our vacation in June of this year.

Equipment: Canon EOS R6 Mark II and Canon RF 50mm F1.8 STM

I think someone's watching...

Photographer: Orangutaan

Description: Friends pose for a shot during a much needed hot summer dip in the Burrard Inlet (Vancouver, BC), with Bowen Island in the distance.

Equipment: Canon AE-1 Program and Canon FD 50mm F1.4

A parade for the love of clay

Photographer: mikolaj_szary

Description: For years, I have been traveling during the Summer to Bolesławiec, a Polish city in Lower Silesia, where clay has been made for centuries. I go there whenever there is the annual ceramic festival, which takes place for several days. The most picturesque part of those days is a procession of people getting painted with clay, who are dressed in unique costumes. Everyone takes part in this parade. Creativity counts. I took this photo during this year's parade on a hot Saturday afternoon.

Equipment: Canon EOS 50D and Canon EF 24-70mm F4L IS USM

High altitude hiking

Photographer: NZ Scott

Description: On the Mestia-Ushguli Trail, Georgia.

Equipment: Sony RX100 VII

Dog days of summer

Photographer: TimJoeBill

Description: I saw this dog enjoying the view from a camper van on the coast in Highland, Scotland, on a rare warm and sultry August day.

Equipment: Leica SL2-S and Leica Summilux-M 50mm F1.4 ASPH

Untitled

Photographer: Battery_Kinzie

Description: Taken on Lake Zürich, in Strandbad Tiefenbrunnen. It was a boiling hot day. This photo was taken at 20:16, and it was still warm enough that a cooling dip in (or dive into) the lake was an attractive proposition.

Equipment: Sony a6000

Ladies in Castelluccio

Photographer: Andrea Beneventi

Description: The traditional flowering of lentils in Castelluccio di Norcia.

Equipment: Canon EOS 700D

Dock jump sunset

Photographer: owenleve

Description: Oliver Dock jumping at sunset. Donner Lake. Truckee, California. Enjoying the dog days of summer. Taken standing chest-deep in the lake.

Equipment: Nikon Z9 and Nikkor Z 14-30mm F4.5

Chillin' in the middle of the river

Photographer: Dondog

Description: Happy day in Chesterfield Gorge, Massachusetts.

Equipment: Canon EOS 5D Mark III and Canon EF 40mm F2.8 STM

Untitled

Photographer: Ab S

Description: Mietze enjoying sun warmth (like only a cat can).

Equipment: Sony RX10 IV

Fishing at sunrise

Photographer: kodakrome

Description: Fishing at sunrise on a warm August morning. Garden City Beach, South Carolina.

Equipment: Canon EOS R8 and Canon RF 600mm F11 IS STM

Fair winner

Photographer: JeffryzPhoto

Description: Summer means county or state fairs, this being the San Diego County Fair. A girl proudly takes home her prize.

Equipment: Fujifilm X-T4 and Fujifilm XF 16mm F1.4 R WR

Launch into summer

Photographer: Orangutaan

Description: A friend poses for a shot during a much needed hot summer dip in the Burrard Inlet (Vancouver, BC), with Bowen Island in the distance.

Equipment: Canon AE-1 Program and Canon FD 50mm F1.4

The trampoline

Photographer: mcxxrr

Description: Taken in Rhodes. Loved all that was happening on the stairs and the boy discussing the far boat with the girl.

Equipment: OM System OM-D E-M1 Mark ii and Olympus M.Zuiko ED 12-100m F4 IS Pro

Admiring the sunset

Photographer: CanmorePat

Description: A Rocky Mountain goat admires the sunset in his home in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia.

Equipment: Sony a6600 and Sony 18-35mm F3.5-5.6 OSS

The joys of summer

Photographer: Albert kings

Description: My daughter celebrating the little but most memorable things.

Equipment: Apple iPhone X

Where'd it go?

Photographer: ULprof

Description: In a late afternoon golf tournament my son was playing in, I snapped this picture of all the kids looking off into the sunset as they desperately tried to track where their golf balls went.

Equipment: Sony a7R IV and Sony 70-200mm F2.8 G SSM II

4th of July pool time!

Photographer: AlexeyV

Description: lol party for 4th of July, my son showing off his jumping skills.

Equipment: Fujifilm X100VI

The golden wings of summer glow

Photographer: Ritam Melgunov

Description: The egret flying up in the sunset glow. Captured at the end of August specifically for the Challenge. Surroundings of Gatchina, Leningrad region, Russia. My poem: How nice ‘tis to be a bird! A waft — and you are awing! A bird has no debt or deed, He can simply fly and sing— How nice ‘tis to be a bird! O freedom! O breadth! O flight! No bond, no care, no curb— Just soar to the happy height!— A bird speaks no hurting word Nor lies — a bird lives a dream— How nice ‘tis to be a bird! Oh, yes! I would fly with him!

Equipment: Canon EOS R7

Find your beach

Photographer: rshoub

Description: We were late getting off to the beach, but that didn't stop our granddaughter from getting a head start. Here she is on a blanket of sun coming through the skylight onto the floor of our Rhode Island summer rental cottage.

Equipment: Sony RX10

Images: SmallRig, Godox, Lexar

It's been a busy week here at DPReview – we've shot several videos for the YouTube channel (so stay tuned for those) and published our review of the Canon EOS R5 II. We're not the only ones, though; accessory makers have been putting out a lot of gear over the past few days, including some stainless steel SD cards, a new flash unit, and a YouTuber-inspired tripod.

Before we get to that, though, let's look at what deals are out there.

Deal of the Week: High-end, smaller sensors, low prices

Canon's EOS R7 is currently $200 off its list price, selling for $1,299. When we reviewed it last year, we called it "one of the most well-rounded, versatile, and capable APS-C mirrorless cameras for the money" but only gave it a Silver award because of the lack of great lens options for APS-C Canons. Since then, though, Sigma has announced two great, fast zooms for RF-S, along with a series of primes, which could all serve as excellent companions to the EOS R7.

The Silver award-winning Panasonic G9 II is also on sale at $250 off retail for fans of the Micro Four Thirds system who want to shoot some video.

Now let's check out some accessories.

This SD card is metal

Don't let the 'Gold' branding fool you; it's actually just stainless steel. Image: Lexar

This week, Lexar announced that it'll make SD cards with a stainless steel casing instead of a plastic one. Dubbed the 'Armor' series, the cards are IP68-certified as water and dustproof (though that's far from unique among SD cards) and bend-resistant.

The company says its Armor cards are 'ideal for outdoor filming,' though you'll want to make sure any camera you put them in can stand up to the same rigors. According to Petapixel, the cards will be available in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB capacities, but so far, there's no word on how much they'll cost or when they'll be available.

The fastest tripod in the West

Image: SmallRig

Camera accessory maker SmallRig has teamed up with YouTuber Gene Nagata, AKA Potato Jet, to create the Tribex Hydraulic Carbon Fiber Tripod, which may just be one of the quickest-deploying camera supports out there.

The tripod's biggest selling point is its clutch system; squeeze a single pistol-grip-shaped handle, and the legs extend down to the ground. This not only allows for rapid deployment but quick leveling as well; if you're in too much of a hurry to use the ball head, you can squeeze the clutch and move the tripod so the varying heights of the legs are keeping it level. The company says it's tested for 20,000 leg extensions.

The Tribex isn't just a one-trick pony, though. Its list of features also includes an adjustable counterbalance, fluid head, the ability to mount the camera upside down for super low shots and 1/4-20 accessory mounting points.

However, none of that comes in an especially light or cheap package. The tripod retails at $799 and weighs 3.8kg (8.4lb). Its counterbalance system can support a payload of up to 6kg (13.2lb), and it has a maximum height of 168cm (66").

New phone, new case

Image: SmallRig

Speaking of SmallRig, the company also announced a new product that's meant for people who plan to shoot a lot with a new iPhone 16. The FilMov Lightweight Photography Case Kit acts as both a case for your phone, as well as a mounting point for accessories and filters. The kit, which will retail for $35, also comes with a detachable handle for better ergonomics while shooting landscape video.

The case includes a cutout for the new 'Camera Control' button (Apple's first-party cases have what is essentially a passthrough button, which may be better for the swiping controls), and is available for the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max.

A double flash

Image: Godox

Godox has announced the AD200Pro II, an update to one of its pocket flashes. It now features a color display for when you're navigating menus and also has a colored group indicator light that can let you know at a glance which group the flash is in.

The AD200Pro II comes with two heads: a bare bulb (capable of guide number 60) and a standard speedlight Fresnel (capable of guide number 52). The company says the new heads have improved heat dissipation and thus shouldn't overheat, even during a long shoot. Both heads also include a bi-color modeling light.

The flash has recycle times ranging from 0.01 seconds to 1.8 seconds and can be used in first-curtain sync, second-curtain sync, and high-speed sync modes. Its battery will last for up to 500 full-power flashes, according to Godox.

The AD200Pro II will retail for $349.

Mic'd up

Image: Sony

Finally, Sony has announced a new premium lavalier microphone, the ECM-L1. It's made out of machined brass and can connect to a wide range of devices - including many cameras - using a 3.5mm jack. It also includes a locking ring for connecting it to a traditional mic pack.

The ECM-L1 comes with a metal windscreen as well as a fur-styled one and will retail for $279.

Atomos in the Cloud

Image: Atomos

Atomos has announced that its Ninja and Shogun video monitors/recorders will soon be able to automatically upload footage to Dropbox or Frame.io. The added functionality will come via a free software update, and should make it more convenient to get footage off the devices.

The company says that, for a limited time, its Ninja Ultra and Shogun Ultra will be $150 and $200 off, respectively.

Ninja Ultra

Shogun Ultra

Click to see last week's accessory roundup

Winners of the 2024 Astronomy Photographer of the Year awards

This week, Royal Observatory Greenwich announced the winners of its Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. There are 11 categories, ranging from photos of skyscapes, the moon, galaxies, and more.

According to the observatory, there were over 3,500 entries for this year's competition.

Starting today, the winning images and runner-ups will be on display at a gallery in the National Maritime Museum. If you don't happen to live in Greenwich, you can also view the runners-up for each category on the museum's website.

Overall Winner: Distorted Shadows of the Moon’s Surface Created by an Annular Eclipse by Ryan Imperio

Distorted Shadows of the Moon’s Surface Created by an Annular Eclipse, shot by Ryan Imperio in Odessa, Texas, was crowned the overall winner of the contest, as well as the winner of the 'Our Sun' category. According to a press release from the Observatory, Imperio said 'The images selected each year are absolutely astonishing and I am both thrilled and honoured to have my photo among them. I had hoped my image would be shared in some way but never expected to be selected as a winner, let alone Overall Winner!’

About the image: This is a sequence of continuously captured images showing the progression of Baily’s beads at third contact during the 2023 annular eclipse. Baily’s beads are formed when sunlight shines through the valleys and craters of the Moon’s surface, breaking the eclipse’s well-known ring pattern, and are only visible when the Moon either enters or exits an eclipse. These are a challenge to capture due to their brevity and the precise timing needed.

Equipment used: Nikon D810 camera, iOptron SkyGuider Pro mount, Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary lens

600 mm F8, ISO 640, multiple 1/1,000-second exposures

Skyscapes Winner: Tasman Gems by Tom Rae

About the image: This photograph shows the rugged peaks of the Tasman Valley reaching up to the impressive features of the southern hemisphere summer night sky. It includes the hydrogen clouds of the Gum Nebula (central red region) and various other regions of active star formation stretched throughout the fainter arms of the Milky Way. This part of the night sky that tends to be less photographed, due to the faintness of the Milky Way band.

Equipment used: Nikon Z 6 astro-modified and Nikon Z7 cameras, iOptron SkyGuider Pro mount, Sigma 40 mm F1.4 Art and Sigma 28 mm F1.4 Art lens

Sky: ISO 1,600, 40 mm F1.8, 31 x 30-second exposures; 
Foreground: ISO 100, 28 mm F10-14, 9 x 4-second exposures

Our Moon Winner: Shadow peaks of Sinus Iridum by Gábor Balázs

About the image: This photograph shows Sinus Iridum, also known as the ‘Bay of Rainbows,’ a 260-kilometre diameter bay bordered by several smaller craters. The photographer used a monochrome camera with a filter to capture the area. The crater visible in the upper right corner, Pythagoras, is particularly noteworthy and is almost visible from the side due to the libration, the wavering of the Moon as viewed from Earth.

Equipment used: Heyde-Zeiss refractor telescope, ZWO green filter, ZWO ASI178MM-pro camera

4,500 mm, F15

Aurorae Winner: Queenstown Aurora by Larryn Rae

About the image: The Aurora Australis captured above the mountains in Queenstown. It is a 19-image panorama capturing all the fast-moving beams that lit up the sky in February 2023. The photographer used an astro-modified camera to capture all the pink hues of the aurora which makes for an incredibly dynamic final image.

Equipment used: Canon EOS R5 H-alpha modified camera, 35 mm panorama

F2.8 ISO 3,200, Sky: 8 second-exposure, Foreground: 30-second exposure

The Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer Winner: SH2-308: Dolphin Head Nebula by Xin Feng and Miao Gong

About the image: SH2-308 (the Dolphin Head Nebula) is at a low angle and can only be shot for five hours a day. This image comprises a total of ten days of shooting and post-processing with PixInsight. The main body of the nebula and the background stellar wind are both prominent.

Equipment used: Takahashi TOA-130NS telescope, Sky-Watcher EQ8 mount, ZWO ASI6200MM-Cool camera

1,000 mm F7.7, Gain 100, 144 x 600-second H-alpha exposures, 140 x 600-second OIII exposures

Young Winner: NGC 1499, A Dusty California, by Daniele Borsari (age 14)

About the image: This image features a deep integration on the California Nebula, NGC 1499, an emission nebula in the constellation of Perseus. It’s located at a distance of about 1,000 light years from Earth and it’s visible thanks to the ionization of gases by the blue giant star ξ Persei (Menkib).

Equipment used: ZWO ASI533MC Pro camera, Samyang 135 mm F2.0 lens, Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer mount

135 mm F2.8, 263 × 300-second exposures, 228 × 180-second exposures (33 hours 19 minutes total exposure)

Annie Maunder Prize for Image Innovation Winner: Anatomy of a Habitable Planet by Sergio Díaz Ruiz

About the image: This seemingly alien world is actually our endangered planet, Earth, as a distant civilisation might study it. This image was created by mixing the 16 bands monitored by the GOES-18 weather satellite to encode land masses, oceans and atmospheric features as different colours.

Equipment used: Original data from GOES-18 ABI (Bands 1 to 16 (0.47 to 13.3 microns)) from 18 February 2024 and Suomi-NPP VIIRS (0.5 to 0.9 microns) from 2012–2020

Stars & Nebulae Winner: SNR G107.5-5.2, Unexpected Discovery (The Nereides Nebula in Cassiopeia) by Marcel Drechsler, Bray Falls, Yann Sainty, Nicolas Martino, and Richard Galli

About the image: This impressive photograph is the result of 3,559 frames, 260 hours of exposure time and telescopes on three continents. The team worked to explore and photograph a previously unknown gigantic supernova remnant (SNR) in the centre of the famous constellation Cassiopeia. The international team of amateur astronomers is under the scientific leadership of Professor Robert Fesen (USA). The fact that amateurs have made such a discovery is a testament to how important their role has become in today’s astronomy.

Equipment used: Takahashi FSQ-106EDX4 telescope, Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro and Paramount MyT GEM mounts, QHYCCD QHY600PH-M, ZWO ASI2600MM Pro and ZWO ASI6200MM Pro cameras

530 mm and 382 mm F3.6 and F5, 258 hours 32 minutes total exposure with 60-second, 180-second, 300-second and 600-second subframes

Planets, Comets & Asteroids Winner: On Approach by Tom Williams

About the image: This false-colour composite shows the phases of Venus on approach to inferior conjunction, which is when Venus and the Earth appear close on the same side of the Sun. Using ultra-violet and infrared filters, the intricate cloud structure within the upper atmosphere of the planet is revealed. Despite Venus’s rotation period being many months long, the atmosphere is far from stationary, circling the planet in around four days. This makes UV imaging of Venus particularly interesting as the planet is much more dynamic than it otherwise would be if viewed in the visible spectrum.

Equipment used: Sky-Watcher 400P (16") GoTo Dobsonian Reflector telescope, Baader Bessel (U)BVRI and RG610 filters, ZWO ASI462MM camera

5,000 mm F12.3, multiple 15-millisecond exposures

People & Space Winner: High-Tech Silhouette by Tom Williams

About the image: This H-alpha image of the Sun features the silhouette of the International Space Station (ISS) transiting the eastern solar limb. Crossing the field-of-view in just 0.2 seconds, ISS transits of the Sun are particularly rare for any one location on Earth. The Sun was active and a prominence right next to the station’s transit location can be seen.

Equipment used: Sky-Watcher Evostar 120 telescope, Daystar Quark Chromosphere filter, Sky-Watcher EQ3 Pro mount, Player One Apollo-M Max (IMX432) camera

4,300 mm F35, ISS: 19 x 0.70-millisecond exposures; Sun: 7,500 x 12-millisecond exposures

Galaxies Winner: Echoes of the Past by Bence Tóth and Péter Feltóti

About the image: This picture shows the galaxy NGC 5128 and its surrounding tidal wave system as well as a visualization of the relativistic jet, powerful jets of radiation and particles travelling close to the speed of light. This interesting target can only be shot from the southern hemisphere, so the photographers travelled to Namibia to capture the image.

Equipment used: Custom-built 200/800 Newton astrograph telescope, Astronomik Deep-Sky LRGB filters, Antlia V-Pro LRGB filters and Antlia 3 nm H-alpha bandpass filter, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro and Sky-Watcher EQ6 mounts, ZWO ASI2600MM Pro camera

800 mm F4, 16.2-hour L, 5.3-hour R, G and B, and 5.6-hour H-alpha exposures

Image: Leica

Leica has announced the M11-D, a camera in the M11 family that omits a rear display, opting to put an ISO dial in its place. The company says the lack of a display will help users focus on "the elementary aspects of pictorial design such as composition, aperture, shutter speed and ISO."

Underneath the display-less back plate, though, the M11-D is still a modern digital camera. It has a 60MP sensor, with enough cache to shoot five full-resolution images per second, 256GB of internal storage, and the ability to use UHS-II SD cards up to 2TB in size. The camera also includes Bluetooth and Wi-Fi that you can use to connect it to a smartphone, and USB-C for data transfer and charging.

Image: Leica

The M-11D also includes Leica's 'Content Credentials' system, which will let people verify whether the images taken with it have been edited and, if so, what changes have been made.

This isn't the first time Leica has produced a digital camera without a screen and marketed it as a purer photography experience. There was a similar model in the M10 family as well. Like its predecessor, the M11-D also eschews the iconic red Leica badge on the camera's face, instead opting for what looks like a black flathead screw. Instead, the Leica name is engraved on the top plate.

The M11-D is available for preorder, at a list price of $9,395. That's a $400 price premium over the regular M11, which includes a display for navigating menus and reviewing your shots. However, the M11 only includes 64GB of onboard storage, so the upcharge isn't just for the screen delete.

Press Release: