Image: Apple

With Apple's latest iPhone 17 series, the company's lineup has more options than before, from the iPhone Air to the iPhone 17 Pro Max (and we can't forget the budget iPhone 16e). While there are many things that set these phones apart, we're going to look at how the phones are for photography, and how they compare to each other.

How do Apple's new iPhones compare?

There are more subtle differences that we'll cover, but the biggest differences between cameras for the Air (left), iPhone 17 (middle) and iPhone 17 Pro (right) are obvious just from looking at them. Image: Apple

Comparing the cameras on the iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max is relatively simple; for most people, the main differences will be in the number of cameras each phone has. The Air has a single wide-angle camera, and the same model is found on the iPhone 17, though paired with an ultra-wide camera. The 17 Pro adds an additional telephoto camera, providing the most range and flexibility.

There are several shared components between the phones. The 17 and Air's main cameras, for example, are the same, as are the wide-angle camera on the 17 and 17 Pro. And for photography, they have the same set of features, including the Camera Control button, customizable Photographic Styles that give you more control over how your photos look and a portrait mode with adjustable computer-generated bokeh.

The iPhone 17 Pro's main camera is much larger than the one on the standard 17 and Air

Despite the commonalities, there are still benefits to going Pro. Besides the addition of a 100mm equiv. telephoto camera, the main camera also uses a much larger Type 1/1.28 (71.5mm²) sensor, compared to the Type 1/1.56 (48mm²) sensor used on the standard 17 and Air.

The additional area means it will gather more light, so it won't have to dip into the long exposure low-light mode as often, and can provide better image quality and more real bokeh in ideal lighting conditions. The Pros' main cameras also have a slightly wider focal length at 24mm, rather than 26mm.

Finally, there's the Air, which only has a single 26mm wide-angle camera. Apple includes a "2x" mode that crops in on the 12MP in the center of the sensor to provide a bit of additional reach, but if you like to shoot subjects that are far away, or like the look that ultra-wide images provide, you may want to consider other options. However, if you only use the main camera, you're not giving anything up versus the standard 17.

What about the selfie camera?

Image: Apple

For this generation, Apple introduced a brand new selfie camera which, thankfully, is included on all of its new phones. The new design is larger (though it's not clear by how much), higher-resolution and square. While it doesn't seem like the phone uses the whole sensor at once, it allows you to switch between portrait and landscape selfies without having to physically rotate your phone.

Is the Pro Max better than the Pro?

For photography, no; the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max have the same camera setup. This hasn't always been the case; the iPhone 15 Pro Max's telephoto camera had further reach than the one on the smaller model. However, this time around, you don't have to give up any photography features to get the more pocketable phone (unless you truly feel you need the 2TB storage option that's only available on the Max).

If you're interested in the Pro line, be sure to check out our deep-dive article that covers all the changes to its cameras and video features compared to the previous generation.

iPhone 17 versus iPhone 16e

The iPhone 17 (left) has more than just an extra camera compared to the 16e (right). Image: Apple

If you look at Apple's spec sheet, it'd be easy to think that the budget-oriented iPhone 16e's single camera is the same one used by the standard iPhone 17; the company calls them both "48MP Fusion Main" cameras, after all. However, the one on the 16e is substantially smaller, coming in at 23.5mm² (which you might recognize as the same size used by the more expensive phones' secondary and tertiary cameras).

The smaller sensor again means that the phone will have to work harder to capture clear photos in low light, and that images from it taken in ideal lighting conditions won't be as good as ones from the newer phones. That's especially true given that it's only optically stabilized, rather than having additional sensor stabilization like the mainline iPhones.

A few other limitations compared to the 17s and Air: the 16e doesn't have the next-generation portrait mode that lets you adjust what the main focus of the image is and what's blurred out, nor does it have the more customizable Photographic Styles. It also lacks the Camera Control button and uses the old selfie camera, meaning you'll have to turn your phone to get landscape portraits.

What about the iPhone 16?

Last year's iPhone 16 has the same main camera as the new iPhone 17, but ultra-wide shooters beware... Image: Tucker Bowe

As usual, Apple has stopped selling the previous-generation Pro phones, but is still selling the standard iPhone 16 for around $100 less than its launch price. Its main camera will be the same as the standard 17's, but its ultra-wide camera is a smaller (23.5mm²) 12MP model versus the 48MP one used by the current-gen. Like the 16e, it uses the older selfie camera.

What else should I consider?

There's a lot of things to consider when you're buying a phone beyond its photographic capabilities. For example, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has a massive battery and a giant screen, both of which could be handy on days when you're taking a ton of photos. The Pro phones also have a litany of video features, such as the ability to record ProRes Raw and Log footage.

Meanwhile, the iPhone Air is substantially thinner than the other options, which could be nice if you prefer a phone that doesn't take up a ton of pocket space. And, of course, there are countless Android options with their own sets of strengths and weaknesses. But you should now at least understand how the cameras on Apple's current-generation phones stack up to one another.

The G7 X III is popular thanks to its wide array of vlogging features, photographer-pleasing 24-100mm equiv. F1.8-2.8 lens, and well-considered controls. Image: Canon

At a media event in Tokyo, Canon said it's in the process of increasing production on the PowerShot G7 X III, the company's premium compact camera that has recently been quite difficult to buy.

It's a reiteration of a few comments the company has made throughout the year. In January, it told investors it had seen a surge of orders for the camera, coinciding with point-and-shoots rising in popularity, and in the summer, it said it was increasing production on its compact cameras. And when we specifically asked about the frequent PowerShot G7 X III stock issues, the company promised that the camera was still in production.

The company says the renewed production is following a component shortage, and that it's starting to fulfill backorders on the camera. Whether this means that you'll be able to buy one in the near-term feature if you haven't already put in an order remains to be seen, but Canon says the PowerShot G7 X III is still in its lineup, so there's some hope.

Image: Laowa

Laowa has announced the 180mm F4.5 1.5X Ultra Macro APO, a full-frame telephoto macro lens that provides greater-than-life-size reproduction. The company says it's "one of the smallest and lightest options in its class," and is offering an autofocus version for Sony E, Nikon Z and Canon EF mounts.

The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 0.3m (11.8"), allowing for up to 1.5x magnification. Its optical formula uses 12 elements in 9 groups, with two extra-low dispersion elements and one ultra-high refraction lens. The company says the lens has an apochromatic design to reduce chromatic aberrations and a nine-bladed aperture.

The E-mount version of the lens is 134mm long and weighs 522g. It can accept 62mm filters and has a function button and USB Type-C port for firmware updates.

Laowa doesn't specify what kind of autofocus motors the AF versions of the lens use, but the system is capable of focusing on subjects that are as close as 1.5m (4' 11") away; for closer subjects, you'll have to use manual focus. It has an internal focusing design.

The 180mm F4.5 1.5X Ultra Macro APO's specifications bear striking similarities to the company's Sword 180mm T4.6 1.5X Macro cinema lens, but it's nice to see this lens in a more photo-friendly package. For one, this option is much cheaper and lighter, and includes autofocus if you happen to have the right lens mount. While it's not particularly surprising that the RF mount version is manual-focus only, the fact that the L-mount version also lacks AF is a little confusing.

The lens will be available today, and costs $499.

Laowa 180mm F4.5 1.5X Ultra Macro APO specifications:

Image: Extreme-Photographer / E+ via Getty Images

Deciding the best timing to buy a new camera can be challenging when weighing the benefits of buying immediately versus waiting for the next model. It's a balancing act between getting the latest technology and having something in hand sooner. Making matters worse, cameras aren't like a lot of consumer electronics that follow fixed release timelines (like the iPhone coming out every September). Instead, they are more sporadic, and you can never know for sure when to expect an update.

Rumors typically fly before camera releases, speculating about details and timing. But those aren't always trustworthy or accurate, making the decision even harder. If you're on the fence about buying now or waiting, here are some key things you'll want to consider.

When you should buy now

Buying without waiting is smart in many situations. For starters, it may be necessary to purchase immediately if you have an upcoming project or event that requires a new camera. For example, if you're photographing a wedding in the coming months and need a backup camera, waiting for the updated model generally isn't possible. However, if you're pretty sure something new is coming soon that will better fit your needs, renting a camera until the new one is out may be the better move.

You'll also want to check when the lineup you are considering last had a release and what the typical release cadence is for that company (we have a handy timeline tool that can help you with that). If a camera just came out a handful of months ago, you'll have to wait a long time for the next model. In that case, you might as well make the purchase now if it fits your needs. Otherwise, you'll be left waiting for quite some time.

If the cameras currently available offer all your must-have features, then it doesn't hurt to purchase now.

Additionally, if the cameras currently available offer all your must-have features, then it doesn't hurt to purchase now. If you need high burst rates and the current cameras are fast enough, you might as well go ahead and buy. Of course, you never know what new features will be introduced, but if you've thought carefully about what is most important to you in a camera and there is one that currently meets those needs, there may not be a reason to wait.

Lastly, some companies only rarely offer steep sales or discounts, so if you come across a good deal, it may be worth jumping on it. Plus, not every older model is discounted when the new one comes out, so a good sale could save you more than waiting for the camera you want to be old news.

When you should wait to buy a new camera

There are certainly good reasons to buy immediately, but waiting may also be the better move. For those who currently have or are eying a camera that's getting rather old, it could be likely that a new version is imminent. In such cases, you may simply want to wait for the new version.

As mentioned, knowing the release cadence can also help you decide if you should wait. If you don't need a new camera urgently and you are getting close to the timeframe when a new model typically comes out, it may make the most sense to just wait a little longer. Even if you decide you don't need that latest camera, you may be able to save a little bit on the now older model.

It may also be worth paying attention to any rumors or teasers. Rumors, of course, aren't always accurate, but they could at least provide an idea of upcoming features. If you see hints that the next camera could have a feature that you would really enjoy or benefit from, it may make sense to hold off for a bit longer and wait for that camera.

Final thoughts

At the end of the day, whether you should wait for the latest device or buy a camera now comes down to your needs. Having a clear understanding of your must-have features and tools is critical and will put you in a better position to make a smart decision. Likewise, knowing when a company last released something and what cadence the product announcement tends to follow will help you decide if you'll be waiting for years or months. However, if there is a model available today that perfectly matches your needs, the benefits of waiting could be slim to none.

Photo: MPB

Buying and selling used gear online is a great way to find bargains and make sure that valuable equipment gets a second life, rather than ending up in a landfill. But trading online can be stressful. We've all had the experience of buying a camera or lens listed as "barely used" or "mint in box," only to discover on opening the parcel that the glowing description didn't match reality. Equally, selling used gear can be a hassle too. Time-wasters, flaky buyers and outright scammers are at best an inconvenience, and at worst, could present a serious risk to your online security.

But it doesn't need to be a headache. We've teamed up with the good folks at MPB to create a quick guide to buying and selling used camera gear online the smart way.

Tips for Buying Used Gear

Image: MPB

Always check the photos

When you're shopping for used gear online, whether from a private seller or a retailer, a picture is truly worth a thousand words. Make sure that the photos are in focus and high-resolution enough to check for any potential defects. Minor scuffs on the body of a camera or lens probably don't matter, but scratches on the optics of a lens, or significant dust or fungus between the elements is bad news.

When you browse used inventory on MPB, you'll see multiple high-res photos of the exact product you'll be buying. But if you opt to buy from a site that doesn't include photos, it's smart to do some additional research before you click "buy now." Check customer reviews to see what other buyers are saying, and make sure that you have the option of returning a product that doesn't meet your expectations without incurring a fee.

If you're buying from a private seller and want to see more than their blurry smartphone photos reveal, look for an option to message them or leave a comment. A trustworthy seller should be happy to reshoot or supply additional photos on request. If they refuse or don't reply, that's your cue to walk away.

Photo: MPB

…and read the product description.

This one should go without saying, but we'll say it anyway – always read the item description and condition grade carefully. MPB uses a transparent, multi-tiered condition grading scale, including a description field that lists specific details about the item. No hard-to-spot "info" or "read description" button – it's all right there.

When it comes to private listings, watch out for sellers who bury bad news at the end of a listing or use minimizing terms like "very minor" or "unnoticeable" to describe flaws. Be particularly cautious if the description mentions cracks to a camera or lens housing, scratches on the front or (especially) rear glass element of a lens, or the dreaded fungus…

Remember: appearances can be deceptive

So you've examined the photos closely, and from appearances, the gear you're considering looks like it's never been used. That's a good thing, right? Well, maybe, but maybe not. Even if the exterior looks pristine, there may still be gremlins lurking inside.

If you're shopping for a vintage film camera or manual lens, especially, ask yourself – what has it been doing all these years? And how has it been stored? When mechanical cameras aren't used for extended periods of time, this can lead to hard-to-spot problems, including sticky shutters, light meter failure, corroded battery compartments and worse.

Meanwhile, lenses that have been sitting unused for years are susceptible to their own issues, including stiff focusing rings, haze, oily aperture blades and fungus.

When you buy gear from MPB, you can be sure that a trained technician has inspected it for exactly these kinds of issues and verified that everything checks out. So if it looks perfect, it should work perfectly too.

Tips for Selling Used Gear

Image: MPB

Get your priorities straight

If you want to get the most money possible for your used gear, selling privately will probably net you the best return, but it's risky. Anyone who has listed an item on a public forum or auction site knows what it's like to deal with time-wasters and scammers, not to mention the hassle and expense of managing payment and shipping. And be prepared for a potentially long wait until the right customer comes along.

Much easier is to sell your gear to an established, reputable dealer like MPB. Just describe your item for a free estimate, and if you want to move forward, MPB will send you a complimentary shipping label. Once they have it in their hands, MPB's trained inspectors will check your gear, provide a final quote, and if you agree, you'll get paid. The money will be sent directly to your bank account within days, and another photographer will get to enjoy your valuable gear for years to come.

Photo: MPB

Trade your way to an upgrade (and save time in the process)

Sure, there are instances where selling used gear is motivated by the desire to free up space in the camera bag or to generate a quick infusion of cash. But in our experience, more often than not, we sell gear to lessen the cost of upgrading a piece of our kit.

Instances like this are where the MPB platform shines brightest – by streamlining buying and selling into a single process, you get all of the benefits described above plus the time savings of only having to do it once. If you value your time, and would rather spend it shooting photos than haggling via email, the efficiency of MPB's trade process is hard to ignore.

Buy, Sell, or Trade with MPB

90%

Overall score

Jump to conclusion

The Hasselblad X2D II 100C is a medium format mirrorless camera, built around a 44mm x 33mm, 100MP BSI CMOS sensor. It's designed to deliver a high-dynamic range image workflow, and gains continuous autofocus supported by Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors and more effective image stabilization.

Key Specifications

• 100MP 44x33mm BSI CMOS sensor
• HDR output (HEIF or Ultra HDR JPEG) by default
• IBIS up to 10EV
• Continuous autofocus
• 3.6", 2.36M dot tilting rear OLED display w/ 1400 nit peak brightness
• 5.76M dot 0.79x EVF
• Human, animal and vehicle AF subject detection
• LiDAR for autofocus
• 1TB internal SSD + CFexpress Type B slot

Despite the significant upgrades, the X2D II 100C sees the body-only price fall to $7399 / €7200 / £6400, an $800 reduction, compared with the existing X2D 100C.

Index:

• What's new
• How it compares?
• Body and handling
• In use
• Initial impressions
• Image Quality
• Autofocus
• Conclusion
• Sample gallery
• Specifications
• Press Release

What's New

"End-to-end" HDR

This image, captured as an Ultra HDR JPEG, makes the chrome of the car's wire wheels shine much more convincingly when viewed on an HDR display. Hasselblad X2D 35-100mm F2.8-4.0 @ 60mm | F3.5 | 1/500 sec | ISO 100 Photo: Mitchell Clark

Hasselblad claims to be the first company to make a medium format camera with "end-to-end" HDR and has equipped the X2D II with a high-brightness viewfinder and rear screen, so that you can see some of the wider brightness range as you shoot. Its default output is in the HEIF format but it can also create 'Ultra HDR JPEGs' which have an embedded brightness map to let them convey a wider tonal range on compatible devices, while still maintaining backward compatibility. The company says this gives images with up to three additional stops of dynamic range compared to standard sRGB JPEGs, using a technique adopted by Google in its Pixel phones, and by Sigma in its BF Mirrorless camera.

The camera supports the P3 color gamut throughout the shooting and editing experience, in addition to making fuller use of the wide color range, as well as the wider tonal range, of its large sensor. It says it doesn't use either the HLG or PQ response curves used by other brands, and instead uses gain maps with linear response and a roll-off in the highlights to give a natural look. The system appears to be utilizing the highlight data that's usually clipped in the JPEG output, rather than reducing exposure to capture any additional highlight information.

HDR images are only captured in P, S or A modes, where the camera has some control over exposure. The company says it assumes people setting exposure manually may be trying to capture a very specific look that may not lend itself to HDR, so disengages the feature, rather than producing a potentially unnatural-looking image that the photographer didn't want.

Embedded in the above image is this 1/4 resolution brightness map, which tells compatible devices which parts of the image to display with addtional brightness.

The X2D II's rear display has also been substantially upgraded to support HDR, going from a TFT LCD to an OLED panel that can display up to 1400 nit peak brightness. That lets it provide the HDR experience when you're reviewing your images, giving you a better idea of what you've captured.

Hasselblad has also updated its Phocus Mobile 2 app to allow for editing the X2D II's HDR files, and even reprocessing Raws from some of its other cameras, such as the original X2D and the CFV 100C, into HDR output files.

Continuous autofocus

While the original X2D was limited to single autofocus and manual focus, the II gains continuous autofocus, making it easier to capture moving subjects. Like many modern cameras, the system also includes AI-derived subject recognition for humans, animals and vehicles, and support for tracking arbitrary subjects.

At first seven of the company's more recent lenses will support continuous autofocus, and each will require a firmware update before they can access the feature.

The supported lenses are the XCD 35-100mm F2.8-4.0E zoom, launched alongside the camera, along with the 25mm, 38mm, 55mm and 90mm V-series lenses, and the 28mm and 75mm P lenses.

Even more AF improvements

To feed the autofocus system with information, Hasselblad has not only increased the number of phase detect autofocus points – 425 versus 294 on the original X2D – but added an entirely new type of sensor as well. The X2D II also uses Light Distance and Ranging (LiDAR) to judge how far away a subject is, with this input fully integrated into the AF system.

It's reasonable to assume this technology comes from DJI, which owns a majority stake in Hasselblad, as the company already uses the technology in several of its cinema tools. The camera also now has an AF illuminator lamp on the front, which doubles as a self-timer countdown indicator.

Improved IBIS

The camera's in-body stabilization allows the capture of images at slow shutter speeds, and boosts the frequency with which you'll get the full resolution out of the camera. Hasselblad XCD 35-100E @ 35mm | 0.3 sec | F8 | ISO 800 Photo: Richard Butler

The original X2D had an IBIS system rated for up to 7 stops of stabilization, but the X2D II takes it even further, with Hasselblad promising up to 10 stops. In real-world use, your results will depend on how still your subject is and how steady you can hold the camera, but in the right conditions, you can definitely use it to push your exposure times past where you'd be able to with an unstabilized system.

Updated controls

Hasselblad has updated the controls, adding a joystick that can be used for controlling the autofocus selection point or scrolling through menus and a customizable button on the back plate. Additionally, the front control dial can now be pressed in to access yet another custom function.

The camera also gains a vibration motor to provide haptic feedback for certain operations, such as confirming that the camera has acquired focus or that you have both your spirit levels centered.

How it compares

While medium format cameras are most often associated with high-end studio work (a task the X2D II is fully capable of), the X2D series has always clearly been designed to be taken outdoors and used in a wider variety of conditions. The company suggests that the addition of C-AF expands its audience to include subjects such as "landscapes, daily, portraits and street photography."

Fujifilm targets a very similar audience with the GFX 100S II, which uses a very similar sensor and also comes complete with IBIS and continuous autofocus. (The higher-end GFX 100 II is also comparable, but has faster burst rates, more video features and nicer ergonomics.) We've also included the Sony a7R V, since its full-frame sensor uses the same 3.8µm pixels, just fewer of them.

*Cannot shoot Raw and HLG HEIFs simultaneously

Fujifilm and Sony don't have the same focus on HDR that Hasselblad does; while the a7R V can shoot HDR HEIFs, doing so comes at the cost of your ability to save Raw files, which is a serious downside for high-end work. The Fujifilm can shoot HEIF images and HLG video, but can't combine the two to offer HDR stills.

Another big difference is that the GFX 100S II and a7R V both have focal plane shutters, while the X2D II uses leaf shutters built into each lens. This comes with the benefit of being able to sync flash at any speed, but means that Hasselblad lenses will be significantly more complex and expensive than similarly-speced counterparts from Fujifilm and Sony. Another side effect: if you want to use a third-party lens with the X2D II, you'll be stuck with the very slow electronic shutter.

While high-resolution cameras have always been more suited to stills, the GFX100S II and a7R V both have relatively complete suites of video features as well, with Log profiles, 10 bit video and headphone and microphone jacks. By contrast, the X2D II doesn't shoot video at all; something to consider if your work ever requires motion pictures.

Body and Handling

The X2D II feels extremely sturdy and well-crafted in the hand, and the grip instills confidence, even when you're using a relatively large zoom lens. The controls are laid out well, with the essential buttons and dials within easy reach.

The camera has two top plate control dials and several customizable buttons. Two – one on the back and one on the front – are unlabeled, while another two can be accessed by pressing down on the joystick and the front dial. The top-plate M and WB/ISO buttons can also be reassigned if you choose, with a choice of 35 options.

The joystick is a four-direction control and can be used for moving your autofocus point (though we found it somewhat slow, and often significantly quicker to just tap on the screen) and to navigate through the menus. Both tasks can also be achieved directly using the touchscreen, which has its own selection of buttons for controlling playback and accessing the menu.

Viewfinder and Screens

The camera's rear screen tilts out, and there's a sensor to ensure the camera doesn't switch to using the viewfinder when the screen is extended.

The X2D II's viewfinder is large, bright and responsive, providing an excellent preview for composing and exposure. The low-profile rubber eyecup doesn't do the best job of sealing out light, but it'll be sufficient in most cases, and less likely to snag when you're taking it in and out of a bag than some other designs.

While the screen's 1400-nit peak brightness allows it to properly display HDR images, you won't get the full effect until after you've taken a photo and the camera has generated your HDR output file. It is, however, still very effective for composing your images and is easy to see, even in direct sunlight. Its hinge allows you to pull it out and position it at a 90° angle for waist-level shooting unobstructed by the viewfinder.

While shooting, the screen provides plenty of resolution for the camera's excellent punch-in manual focusing experience.

The X2D II also has a 1" color display on the top plate, which shows your battery life, exposure settings, and a light meter when the camera is on. It's typically blank while the camera is turned off, though a quick tap of the power button will get it to display your remaining charge.

Ports

The X2D II's minimal selection of ports is hidden behind magnetically latching doors, which feel great to open and close. It has a 10Gbps USB-C port for charging and offloading data, and a 3.5mm for use with Hasselblad's somewhat eccentric cable shutter release.

It also has an CFexpress Type B slot, which can be used for backup or as an overflow, should you fill the internal storage. It's worth noting that the internal storage has capacity for over 4000 16-bit Raw and JPEG/HEIF pairs.

Battery

The battery is rated as delivering 327 shots per charge, if tested to CIPA's standards. This can be increased, depending on the camera's configuration. These numbers tend to underestimate how many shots you'll actually get, with double the rated figure not being unusual, depending on how you shoot.

In practice, a rating of over 300 shots per charge will let you shoot for a good period of time, especially if you're shooting occasional, considered shots, rather than rattling off hundreds of snaps at a time. We suspect it's few enough to start to be of concern for professional wedding shooters, who'll definitely want to develop a system for ensuring they have spare batteries charged and ready to go. But with the option to charge over USB-C, the X2D II should be relatively comfortable, away from the studio.

In Use

The X2D II can seem a little daunting at first, with four buttons marked with potentially unfamiliar glyphs down the right-hand side of the screen, PlayStation style. Their functions turn out to be pretty self-evident once you start using the camera: Play, Ok, Cancel/Delete and Menu.

Most other functions can be assigned to one of four customizable buttons (one on the front of the camera, one on the rear and the Mode and WB/ISO buttons on the top plate), or to a press of the front command dial, rear command dial or press of the AF joystick.

Press the Menu button once and you are presented with a settings panel. Some settings, including drive mode, AF mode and ISO can be set by tapping on the screen or using the joystick. Some exposure parameters can be changed from this screen, but not exposure comp, which tells you to use the dial instead.

The camera offers Auto ISO, including in manual exposure mode. You can set the threshold shutter speed that the system will try to maintain, either by selecting a specific shutter speed or by choosing a relationship to the current focal length, with the choice of: 4f, 3f, 2f, 1.5f, f or f/2, if you're very steady.

Press the Menu button a second time, or swipe your finger left across the screen and you reach the main menus. It's a simple and well-arranged system with eleven named icons arrayed around the screen. Within each category (exposure, focus, connection...) are a handful of settings, often with explanatory text if their function isn't obvious. Swipe upward from this menu page or the settings page and you'll find yourself back in live view, ready to shoot.

It's a quick and easy-to-learn system that lets you just get on and shoot.

Our experience of the autofocus has left us impressed. There are occasions where it would erroneously confirm focus, but most of the time it focused quickly and accurately, with eye detection in particular giving us a level of performance we'd associate with some of the better mass-market cameras. Combined with the up-rated image stabilization, the X2D II is one of the easiest-to-shoot medium format cameras we've encountered.

Initial impressions

By Richard Butler

The X2D II 100C in many ways still looks a lot like the original X1D launched back in 2016, but the reality of using the two cameras couldn't be more different. The original camera looked great, and was capable of delivering excellent images, but its short battery life and lack of responsiveness meant that it wasn't nearly as comfortable untethered from the studio as its small body would imply.

It's worth noting, though, that the original X1D was launched just a few months after DJI first took a stake in the company, so its development would have started long before. The X2D II can perhaps be seen as what happens when a well-established photography company and an ambitious, advanced tech company come together. The X2D may still resemble the original camera but it's worlds away in terms of performance and usability.

The introduction of LiDAR (already used in products such as the Ronin 4D gimbal camera) is the most overt sign of input from DJI, but it's hard to imagine Hasselblad's cameras would have developed so far, so fast, without DJI's contributions. Continuous autofocus with highly effective eye detection autofocus was not on the cards for the contrast-detect X1D, yet here, and in conjunction with in-body image stabilization it allows you to use medium format like it was a point-and-shoot.

The X2D II will shoot HDR unless you go out of your way to stop it

Then there's the decision to lean into HDR photography, something that's becoming increasingly common in modern cameras but poorly supported and even more poorly communicated or promoted to photographers. Most modern mirrorless cameras can capture HDR HEIFs that can make use of the wide dynamic range and wide color gamut of modern displays, but very few cameras give you a good preview of its impact or make much effort to encourage its use. The X2D II will shoot HDR unless you go out of your way to stop it.

The X2D II has an excellent screen that can give an impression of how much more vibrant and lifelike your images can look. And, in addition to HEIF files, which can still be awkward to share and view reliably, the Hasselblad can capture JPEGs with brightness map embedded in them: giving full backward compatibility with just about every viewing device imaginable, but giving HDR vibrancy on devices that support it.

In the right conditions, HDR can make it feel less like you're looking at a photo, and more like you're looking through a window to the world, with much more realistic representation of the way light reflects from objects. To get the effect, open the photo in a supported browser. Hasselblad XCD 35-100mm F2.8-4 E @ 100mm | F10 | 1/160 sec | ISO 50 Photo: Richard Butler

By letting you see the benefits of well-judged HDR as you shoot the images, the X2D II encourages you to make use of the capability and start thinking about how to ensure your customers and viewers are able to see those results. We regularly found ourselves as impressed by the way the camera uses its greater DR output as we were by the stunning amounts of detail it captures.

What's all the more impressive is that Hasselblad is launching the X2D II 100C at a lower price than the previous model. In fact, it's at a lower price in money terms than the original X1D 50c, despite the vast improvements that have been made in the intervening nine years. The XCD lenses, with their leaf-shutter designs, tend to be more expensive, and often slower, than the rival Fujifilm system, but the X2D II 100c brings a level of performance and usability that makes the system as a whole look more competitive than it's ever been.

Image quality

Our test scene is designed to simulate a variety of textures, colors, and detail types you'll encounter in the real world. It also has two illumination modes, full even light and low directional light, to see the effect of different lighting conditions.

Unsurprisingly, the X2D II's Raws provide superb amounts of detail at low ISOs, besting the single-shot performance of the a7R V's 61MP sensor and matching the GFX 100S II. At its base ISO of 50, it provides the cleanest image of the bunch; the GFX 100S II has slightly more noise, but still outperforms the a7R V thanks to its larger sensor.

Its JPEGs, however, don't seem to quite do that level of detail capture justice, with the finest parts of the image looking a little softer than they do with the GFX 100S II. The details are generally still present in the JPEG, but they don't stand out as much, at least when viewed 1:1 (though that's likely to be a very unusual use-case for images taken on this camera).

The X2D II's Raws continue to look good even at higher ISOs, though its chroma noise is more noticeable than Fujifilm's. And while the JPEG engine doesn't reduce noise as aggressively, that means it does a better job at preserving details.

The X2D II only has one color mode, but we found it strikes a really good balance between accuracy an attractive level of saturation. Click here to view the original file, which will display in HDR if you have a compatible device. Hasselblad XCD 35-100mm E | 60mm | F3.5 | 1/500 sec | ISO 100

Back at lower ISOs, the Hasselblad's colors are generally less saturated than Fujifilm's or Sony's, though in our use outside the studio, we found that it still produced pleasing skin tones for portrait work. We also didn't have any issues with getting images that popped with vibrant colors, especially with HDR switched on.

Dynamic Range

As we've come to expect from this sensor, the X2D II has excellent dynamic range at its base ISO, with very little read noise. This means you won't face much penalty for taking an image at ISO 50 to get the maximum DR, then boosting it in post, compared to taking an image at a higher ISO to achieve your desired lightness.

Its files also hold up well when you're boosting shadows, which is helpful if you're shooting at lower ISOs to protect your highlights with plans to brighten the image in post.

Exposure Latitude | ISO Invariance

Note about studio scene Raws: Leaf shutters tend to become less accurate at high shutter speeds. We got lighter results than expected for our higher ISO images. To ensure the images are comparable, we shot the high ISO Raws using exposures that gave consistent Raw values across different ISO settings.

HDR consequences

By default, the camera shoots HDR images (in either the HEIF or JPEG format). It appears to assess the level of brightness and contrast in the scene and adjust its exposure strategy accordingly: not just in terms of selecting the exposure values and ISO setting but deciding how much highlight headroom it needs. In high contrast settings you may see it select a reduced exposure (reflected as a higher ISO value), to capture the additional highlights. The higher ISO value doesn't mean more analog gain is being applied, but it does mean you pay whatever noise cost comes from the reduced exposure. In theory, then, there might be a slight IQ benefit to turning HDR off and letting the extra highlights clip, if you don't intend to use the HDR output.

Autofocus

The LiDAR sensors augment the camera's improved phase detection system.

Autofocus is one of the X2D II's biggest areas of improvement over previous models. It adds LiDAR to its on-sensor phase detection system and gains a range of subject-recognition modes, based on algorithms developed by machine learning. When used with the latest handful of lenses that have suitably fast motors, the X2D II becomes the first XCD camera to be able to continuously autofocus.

The results are really quite impressive. We weren't about to race down to our local sporting venue with the X2D II but in its responsiveness and reliability, we found the X2D II's autofocus made it a much easier to use camera that could adapt to a much broader range of shooting situations.

Its generic tracking (of non-recognized subjects) is pretty sticky and its human detection, which we used most extensively, is very dependable in terms of finding an eye to focus on. There are a few instances of eye-lash, rather than iris focus, but given the level of scrutiny a 100MP medium format camera allows, we were impressed by how reliably the camera focused perfectly. We'd consider the X2D II 100C paired with the 35-100mm F2.8-4 to be more dependable for capturing people quickly than the Fujifilm GFX paired with the 110mm F2 lens. The Fujifilm does a very good job but hasn't historically given us as high a hit rate as we saw from the Hasselblad, thanks to its sticky eye detection and high focusing speed.

Conclusion

By Richard Butler

Our review is primarily focused on the use of the camera out in the field, rather than sitting comfortably tethered in a studio, where these cameras have already proven themselves.

We found it striking how usable the X2D II 100C is, not just in comparison to the rather slow experiences we had with the X1D cameras, but even when held up against modern, more mainstream cameras.

The improvements in autofocus and stabilization, in particular, mean you can comfortably shoot 100MP medium format every bit as easily as you could a high-end full-frame camera. You don't have to adapt your shooting or give extra consideration to what you're doing to gain the camera's extra capability over those cameras.

This, as much as the price, makes the X2D II a much more credible rival to Fujifilm's GFX range. If anything, with the latest lenses, the X2D II is a little more dependable when shooting impromptu people pictures, in terms of both focus speed and consistency. This isn't necessarily true of all lenses, and there's still the fundamental decision to be made about the pros (full-power flash at any shutter speed) and cons (lens cost and occasionally odd bokeh) of whether you want a system built around leaf or focal-plane shutters. But the Fujifilm system no longer has the advantage in out-and-about flexibility it previously had.

Whether you see any benefit from the X2D II's HDR capabilities will depend on what you use it for

Whether you see any benefit from the X2D II's HDR capabilities will depend on what you use the camera for. If you plan to produce prints or work from Raw, it isn't really going to make much difference to you, and you'll probably benefit from explicitly disengaging the function. But if you, for instance, want to be able to share images with a client that have a bit of an extra 'wow' factor, particularly if viewed on their phones, it can deliver results that show off more of the underlying capability of the camera's hardware. The option to output JPEGs that will work as SDR or HDR, as available, makes them especially valuable.

In the past, Fujifilm's GFX cameras had a distinct advantage in this regard: outputting attractive, shareable images immediately, with a choice of creative looks. The Hasselblad only offers a single color mode (there's not even so much as a mono option), but the HDR output can be easily shared via, say, a Google Photos album, letting people immediately see strikingly good-looking results. If this is valuable to you, it's worth ceding a little control over exposure logic and risking a little extra noise to let it handle the highlights.

It's still a medium format camera, so there is additional size and weight to carry around, vs a full-frame camera, and even though you may find the IQ boost you get worth it, for better or worse, this is a camera people will notice. There are a couple of areas in which it lags. Startup time is still a little slow, for instance. And, despite having a super-fast internal SSD, we found the X2D II could sometimes be rather slow to record images, showing a spinning icon on the screen: something we haven't encountered in a while on more mass market systems.

The X2D II feels like a system really hitting its stride

Overall, the X2D II feels like a system really hitting its stride. The fact that you can shoot it as if it were any other mirrorless camera (hell, almost as if it were a point and shoot), feels like a major step forward in terms of practicality. It's still a lot of money, but the X2D II makes it almost unbelievably easy to capture some of the highest image quality currently available.

Scoring

Scoring is relative only to the other cameras in the same category. Click here to learn about what these numbers mean.

Sample gallery

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

All out-of-camera JPEGs in this gallery are Ultra HDR JPEGs: please click "Original" link on the right of the preview to download the original file, if you're viewing on an HDR-capable device.

This month's photo challenge celebrates the camera that's always with you: the smartphone. Photo: Dale Baskin

Our September Editors' photo challenge theme is "Pixels in Your Pocket."

This month, we’re celebrating the camera that’s always with you: the smartphone. As we all know, sometimes the best camera is the one you have with you. Wow us with your best smartphone* photos to show us how small sensors can tell big stories, anywhere, anytime.

Photos can be submitted between Sunday, September 14, and Saturday, September 20 (GMT). The challenge is open to photos captured at any time.

Important: Images MUST include a title and a caption of at least 25 words to be eligible. We need to be able to share the story behind your photo. We will consider both photos and captions when selecting our winners, so make sure to tell us that story!

Visit the challenge page to enter your photo in this month's Editors' photo challenge.

Click here to enter your photo in our smartphone photo challenge.

*We'll also accept photos taken with tablets that share the same cameras and computational tools as smartphones.

OM System OM-1 II | OM System 50-200mm F2.8 IS Pro w/ MC-20 2x teleconverter | 400mm | F5.6 | 1/400 sec | ISO 200 Photo: Mitchell Clark

This week, OM System announced its long-awaited telephoto zoom, the 50-200mm F2.8 IS Pro. It's designed to give photographers a fair amount of reach with its standard 100-400mm equiv. focal range, and even more if they pair it with a teleconverter, which it's compatible with.

We were able to test it out both with and without a 2x teleconverter; the images taken with it are labeled as such 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.

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

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