Nikon Z8 | Tamron 70-180mm F2.8 | 180mm | F4 | 1/200 sec | ISO 125

Photos: Mitchell Clark

Late last year, Tamron announced that it was bringing its venerable 70-180mm F2.8 Di III VC VXD G2 to Nikon's Z mount. We took the opportunity to shoot a sample gallery with it, to get an idea for how it performs, and how much it asks you to give up compared to a heavier, larger and more expensive 70-200mm F2.8.

That is a bit of a spoiler for what the experience of shooting with the lens was like. Its size makes it much more usable as an everyday walkabout lens than your typical 70-200mm F2.8, and I found myself taking it places I normally wouldn't bring this class of lens, just because it'd be too much of a hassle to do so.

Even extended, the Tamron 70-180mm F2.8 Di III VC VXD G2 isn't particularly long (unlike its name).

The autofocus motors in the lens were snappy enough that I never felt like they were holding the camera back, even when I was shooting fast-moving subjects like horses. I also appreciated the lens's inclusion of optical image stabilization, which, when paired with the Z8's in-body stabilization, let me get sharp handheld shots at shutter speeds that would typically be difficult to manage with a telephoto lens.

Optically, you do give up a bit compared to the more premium options; as evidenced by several photos in our sample gallery, there's some pretty heavy vignetting at F2.8, though it's noticeably better at F4, and pretty much clears up by F5.6. There's also, of course, the 20mm difference at the long end, though in most scenarios, most photographers won't really notice the difference between a photo shot at 180mm and one shot at 200mm. The lens is also reasonably sharp throughout its range, and has relatively pleasing bokeh wide-open.

The vignetting will be most noticeable when shooting relatively bright, featureless surfaces like the sky, and is less distracting in other situations. Nikon Z8 | Tamron 70-180mm | 180mm | F2.8 | 1/200 sec | ISO 80

Finally, there are the controls. The lens has a single customizable button, which is always a nice inclusion, and Nikon allows you to assign a wide variety of functions to it. I also appreciated the inclusion of a lock switch to keep the lens retracted. It's an extending zoom design (which isn't my favorite, but makes sense given its size), and having the ability to keep it from walking while I was carrying it around was much appreciated. However, it's worth noting that it's quite a strong lock; unlike with some of Sigma's lenses, you can't overpower it if you forget to deactivate it before raising the camera up to your eye.

My biggest complaint with the lens is the focus ring, which is quite sensitive, and is situated exactly where I'd typically rest my hand. This led me to frequently bump the camera into manual focus mode at inopportune times. If I spent long enough with the lens, I'm sure I'd adapt to it (and the focus ring's location will be more familiar to those who only shoot Nikon), but I ended up simply setting it to do nothing in the camera's settings.

The buttons are nice to use, but the focus ring can be quite touchy, and doesn't leave you much room to hold the lens.

Minor complaints and personal preferences aside, I found the Tamron 70-180mm F2.8 Di III VC VXD G2 to be a capable and versatile lens, especially for the price. But be sure to check out the gallery below so you can make your own assessments.

I took this photo while touring Astoria, Oregon, solely to explore the sites featured in the 1985 movie The Goonies. The photo depicts the driveway sign leading up to the house where some of the Goonies kids lived. Photo: Mathew Anderson

Our January Editors' photo challenge theme is "Silly Signs."

Photos can be submitted between Sunday, January 18, and Saturday, January 24 (GMT). The challenge is open to photos captured at any time.

Important: Images MUST include a title and a description 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 read the full rules and to submit your photos for consideration as soon as the challenge opens.

Visit the challenge page to see the full rules

Photo: Abby Ferguson

Getting a new camera is always exciting, even if it's only new to you. So much so that it can be tempting to jump right into using it without much, if any, setup. However, despite the urge to get started right away, it's important to take a few minutes to review some important settings. Doing so can make a significant difference in what your first impressions of the camera are and how the first photos you take turn out.

It's important to note that different genres of photography and video will require their own specific tweaks. However, there are some foundational settings that stay the same no matter what you like to capture, especially when setting up a new camera. This guide focuses on core settings to help beginners navigate a new camera.

Additionally, each specific camera brand will have its own intricacies. We'll touch on some of the more prominent ones in a later article. For now, our focus is on more general settings that apply to most people, no matter their camera brand.

Settings everyone should change

There are a few settings that everyone should check and potentially change when dealing with a new camera. These are relevant to every photographer, no matter your preferred genre or camera brand.

Time and date

When you turn on a new camera for the first time, you'll be prompted to make a few changes right off the bat, including time and date. Some cameras let you skip this step, but it’s best not to. Also, if you bought a used camera, we'd advise looking up how to do a complete reset and then entering the correct information. After all, having the correct date and time will make it easier to organize your photos and videos later on, so it's useful to start here.

Firmware updates

Canon's firmware menu screen will tell you at a glance which version of firmware you have. Screenshot: Mitchell Clark

Your camera may be brand new, but it was likely sitting on a shelf for some time before you brought it home. As a result, there could be new firmware available, which is usually worth installing right away. Some new firmware updates are minor, simply enhancing stability or improving security, but they can also unlock new features and improve performance, so it's important to make sure your camera is up to date. New cameras from many brands will now check for you when you connect them to your phone for the first time, so it's also worth downloading the relevant app, too.

If you bought a used camera, you don't necessarily know if the previous owner kept it updated. As a result, we'd recommend checking whether new firmware is available. To check if there's new firmware, head to the manufacturer's website and see if there's an updated version for your camera's model.

Set the diopter

The dial just to the right of the viewfinder is the diopter dial. Photo: Abby Ferguson

The diopter is an often overlooked and even unknown feature on cameras. The diopter is a tiny optical lens in front of the viewfinder with a small wheel off to the side. It allows you to make small adjustments to the viewfinder so that it matches your eyesight, ensuring that text and details look sharp. It doesn't change the sharpness of your photos, only what you see in the viewfinder. However, with a mirrorless camera, having it set wrong could make you think your shots aren't sharp, so it's critical to dial this in. You can think of it like changing the prescription of your viewfinder. If you have a camera without a viewfinder, this won't be relevant; however, if your camera does have one, be sure to set it up correctly right out of the box.

Image quality and file format

A screenshot of Canon's interface for choosing image type and size. Screenshot: Mitchell Clark

Your new camera will arrive with the file format set to JPEG only. While that works well for photographers who don't need the greater control that Raw files unlock, it's not the preferred option for some. If you're the type of photographer who expects to use Raw files, make sure to change your file format settings right off the bat. Or, you can select to shoot both Raw and JPEG at once, giving you the best of both worlds. If you're unsure or on the fence, we'd suggest shooting in Raw. You can always discard the file if you don't need it, but if you get a shot you really want to edit, you can't acquire the Raw data later.

It's also worth checking the image quality settings while you're at it. Even if you shoot in JPEG only, there are multiple options to choose from that determine how large your files are. We'd recommend shooting in the largest, highest quality your camera offers. Even the largest JPEGs are pretty small, and you can always downsize or recompress a large file, but you can't regain the quality or detail you didn't originally save.

Settings to consider changing

There are settings everyone should definitely check, like the ones above, and others that many people prefer to adjust right away, while others may not. The default settings all have reasons for being there, so they make sense in certain situations and for some people, but many photographers prefer to turn them off or change them immediately.

Beeps, sounds and audio signals

We'd suggest turning the beeps off right away. This is what the menu looks like on a Nikon camera. Screenshot: Mitchell Clark

Most camera manufacturers have lots of beeps turned on by default. These could be beeps for focus confirmation, for starting a recording, menu beeps and so on. For most of us, those constant noises can drive us (as well as the people around us) mad, so we'd suggest you turn them off right away. That's especially true if you're photographing in any situation where quiet is important. The only reason to leave the beeps on is if that added notification is helpful to you when using your camera, but there are also other tools you can employ in most situations that you'd use beeps.

AF-assist light

Another feature that's typically turned on by default is the AF-assist light (it can go by different names depending on the brand). It's a small light on the front of the camera that is intended to lightly illuminate a subject, helping your camera focus in dark conditions.

However, autofocus systems in cameras these days are impressive even in very low light, and that light can be annoying or even disruptive. It's not fun for a subject to have a beam of light in their eyes when you press the shutter. Plus, it's only effective for subjects that are close to the camera. Unless you know you'll need it, we'd recommend turning that off right away.

Autofocus settings

Autofocus options on a Panasonic camera. Screenshot: Mitchell Clark

Modern cameras have a long list of autofocus settings you can tweak, such as focus mode, focus area, subject detection and more. Most of these settings will depend on your specific type of photography or subject. Additionally, some may not be "set it and forget it" settings if you shoot a wide range of subjects. In those situations, we'd suggest getting a feel for the settings and modes you find yourself using, then checking if there's a way to configure your camera to quickly switch between your favorites.

Whether you shoot a variety of genres or stick to one, it's still worth going into the autofocus menu on your new camera. For many, you'll likely end up changing the focus mode and subject detection option to ensure that the settings align with how you most often photograph. If you don't photograph a lot of people, for example, you don't want the subject detection mode to be set to Human.

Don't forget your personal preferences

The above items are likely just a starting point for many photographers. It's also important to remember that you are the one using your camera, and choosing the settings that work best for your workflow and preferences is always the way to go. It may take time to dial in your new camera, but spending the time to figure out the best setup for your needs will help you enjoy using the camera a lot more.

We put the USB 3.2 Gen 2 Samsung T7 Shield, USB4 SanDisk Extreme Pro and Thunderbolt 5 OWC Envoy Ultra head-to-head. Photo: Mitchell Clark

These days, there are an overwhelming number of options when it comes to buying an external SSD to expand your computer's storage (an increasingly important ability as Raw sizes and video bitrates balloon). The highest-end options use protocols like Thunderbolt 5 or USB4 to achieve blistering speeds, but this raises the question: do photographers need all that performance?

We tested several SSDs across a range of price points to see if each one had more to offer for photographers, or if the returns quickly diminished.

What we tested and how we tested them

For this article, we used a 1TB Samsung T7 Shield as our sample for USB 3.2 Gen 2, a 2TB SanDisk Extreme Pro to represent USB4 and a Thunderbolt 5 2TB OWC Envoy Ultra. The tests were carried out on a 2024 MacBook Pro with an M4 Pro processor, which supports Thunderbolt 5, and we tested each SSD one at a time, using the cable it came with.

While this isn't meant to act as a review for the specific SSDs we used for our testing, the results can't necessarily be universally applied to each product in their class. For example, the USB4 SanDisk SSD is using the faster 40Gbps version of the spec, but another USB4 SSD may only be able to reach 20Gbps speeds. We may also see faster USB 4 and Thunderbolt 5 drives as the market around those specifications matures, but, as of early 2026, the drives we've tested are some of the best in their respective classes.

How do the drives stack up?

USB 3.2 Gen 2

The magic of USB-C: it can be used for almost anything. The downside of USB-C: it can run at almost any speed.

Starting with our standard-bearer for USB 3.2 Gen 2, the Samsung T7 Shield handled a number of photography-related tasks with aplomb. We didn't notice any hiccups scrolling through a Lightroom Classic library with over 3600 images, and it wasn't meaningfully slower than the competition when we were copying hundreds of Raw/JPEG pairs to it from a CFExpress or SD card. However, it did take noticeably longer to import and build previews for that Lightroom library, and copying files to the drive from the computer (and vice versa) could take several times longer than on our faster drives.

For the photographers who occasionally stumble into the land of video, we also found that the slower SSD struggled a bit more when editing footage off of it. Adobe Premiere would frequently drop frames during playback, and more complex sequences could slow it to a crawl. Final Cut fared a bit better and was surprisingly usable, though there were still occasional hitches.

USB4

Despite the USB 3.2 Gen 2 drive's general competence, there were definitely times when the USB4 drive made it obvious that it was using a next-generation interface capable of real-world read and write speeds anywhere from 2.5 to 6.4 times faster than those of the Samsung model. Moving files back and forth between it and the computer was very quick, and most of the playback issues in our video editing suites disappeared or were substantially less noticeable. And, of course, it handled all our photo editing and organization tasks with the same ease as the lower-end model.

Thunderbolt 5

The point of the Thunderbolt spec is to be an assurance of performance; USB4 may just be Thunderbolt 4 in a trenchcoat, but until you do some digging, you won't know exactly what speeds a piece of USB4 gear can deliver. That's not the case with Thunderbolt.

Unsurprisingly, the Thunderbolt 5 drive easily handled everything we threw at it, and it never felt like it was a performance bottleneck. However, there also weren't any scenarios we ran into where it was noticeably faster than the USB4 drive, outside of our synthetic benchmarks*. While there are probably some users who'd be able to push it to its limits, we suspect most photographers and video editors wouldn't see a ton of benefit over a good USB4 drive.

* - And even there, the gains weren't nearly as large a jump as the one from USB 3.2 Gen 2 to USB4; our Thunderbolt 5 drive ran around 1.2 to 1.8 times faster than our USB4 one, not quite realizing the theoretical 2x improvement that the standard would allow for.

What's in a name?

No discussion of external SSDs would be complete without a rant on just how confusing things have become when it comes to USB ratings and speeds. What was once relatively simple (USB 2 = slow, USB 3 = fast) has become incredibly complex, with the version of USB that your device supports actually telling you very little about what speeds it supports. For example, a device labeled "USB 3.2" may only run at 5Gbps, or it could rival earlier versions of Thunderbolt, supporting up to 20Gbps. USB4 has the same issue, with potential speeds ranging from 10Gbps to 120Gbps.

Wikipedia has an excellent chart showing all the permutations of the USB specification and the speeds they provide. Which explains a bit why the standard is such a nightmare for those who care about performance. Graphic: Wikipedia

While external SSDs usually come with maximum speed ratings that tell you what they should be capable of (even the fastest SSDs won't be capable of fully saturating USB4's top speeds), it's more of a concern when it comes to the port on your computer and the cable you use to connect the two. While the USB Implementers Forum has been leaning on people to label equipment with their speed and power delivery ratings, not everyone will, so you'll want to make sure you're familiar with which ports on your computer are the fastest, and that you're using a high-quality cable that's capable of providing the speeds your SSD needs. If you have a random USB-C to C cable laying around your house that came with some device, assume it runs at USB 2 speeds, and shouldn't be used for transferring data.

The cable that comes with the SanDisk is, thankfully, labeled with the speeds and power delivery that it's capable of, but this is currently far from the norm. Photo: Mitchell Clark

Thankfully, the story is simpler with Thunderbolt, as each generation has only a single speed. If you have a Thunderbolt 4 cable, you know it should run at 40 Gbps. Of course, this is part of the reason why the price floor for Thunderbolt devices and accessories is so much higher than it is for their USB counterparts. It's also worth noting that Thunderbolt is cross-compatible with USB; if you plug a Thunderbolt drive into a 20Gbps USB-C port on your computer, it will still work, albeit at the lower speeds allowed by the connection.

Summary

This isn't a review of the OWC Envoy Ultra, but it's been a very enjoyable drive to use. The attached cable may be a bit of a mixed bag in terms of repairability but means you can never accidentally leave it at home.

For most photography tasks, you can get away with a relatively standard USB 3.2 SSD with a port and cable rated for 10Gbps speeds. If you frequently move around large chunks of data, edit complex videos, or are just generally impatient, though, it may be worth upgrading to a faster USB4 one, with the greatest gains to be had by going with a model that supports a 40Gbps connection. Most photographers and videographers will be able to stop there; unless you just enjoy having the best version of a thing possible, or need a specific feature, capacity or form factor only offered by a Thunderbolt drive,

2025 DPG Masters Underwater Imaging Competition

DivePhotoGuide (DPG) has announced the winners of its Masters Underwater Imaging Competition 2025. The contest consists of nine image categories, including wide angle, macro, over-under, compact and more, along with one video category. It also awards one overall winner, with this year's honor going to Yuka Takahashi for her stunning image of two humpback whales swimming side by side in Mo'orea.

The DPG Masters Underwater Imaging Competition may be smaller than some photo competitions, but it still showcases stunning imagery. This year's edition received more than 2000 entries from underwater photographers and videographers around the world. A panel of six judges – Nicolas Remy, Jennifer Hayes, Álvaro Herrero (Mekan), Jill Heinerth, Aaron Wong, and Kate Jonker – selected the winners and runners-up, awarding a total of $85,000 in prizes. The contest also donates 15% of proceeds to marine conservation efforts.

You can see all of the winning images and learn more about the contest at the DPG website.

Overall Winner, Wide Angle - Gold

Photographer: Yuka Takahashi

Country: Japan

Title: Synchronized Humpback Whales

Shooting location: Mo’orea, French Polynesia

Equipment and settings: Sony a7R Mark IV, Sony FE 16–35mm F2.8, SeaFrogs housing (F4.5, 1/500s, ISO 320)

Photographer's comment: A pair of humpback whales swims in synchronicity off the French Polynesian island of Mo’orea. Every year, migrating humpback whales from the Southern Hemisphere journey to Mo’orea to use its warm waters as a nursery and resting ground. These two humpbacks are always seen together, and I was fortunate to capture this rare moment in which they mirrored each other’s position and movement almost perfectly. Living close to nature has taught me lessons no textbook ever could, including the realization that each animal has a unique personality. To me, this photograph reflects the strong bond between the two whales while also revealing their playful and curious nature. One of the most special moments I have experienced, this encounter truly made me feel a deep connection with wildlife.

Copyright © Yuka Takahashi | UnderwaterCompetition.com

Wide Angle - Silver

Photographer: Evgenii Ivkov

Country: Russia

Title: Through the Looking Glass

Shooting location: Lakey Peak, Sumbawa, Indonesia

Equipment and settings: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Canon EF 8–14mm F4 Fisheye, Liquid Eye housing (F10, 1/2000s, ISO 1000)

Photographer's comment: There was a good weather forecast on this particular day of our surf trip to Sumbawa, and I knew I had a great opportunity to try and get some underwater shots with a surfer in a tube, as the water clarity and conditions were perfect. The hardest part was constantly being in the breaking zone of fairly large and powerful waves. You need to understand and read the ocean well to do that. A small mistake can be very costly if you’re in the wrong place. The swell that day was great. The waves were double overhead, and the surfers put on a show. I spent almost two hours in the water and made numerous attempts before I got a really good series. The best waves were taken by local surfers, and one of the Indonesian surfers is in the photo.

Copyright © Evgenii Ivkov | UnderwaterCompetition.com

Macro - Gold

Photographer: Sunbong Jung

Country: South Korea

Title: House Cleaning

Shooting location: Anilao, Batangas, Philippines

Equipment and settings: Canon EOS R5, Canon RF 100mm F2.8 Macro, Seacam housing, Retra strobes (F2.8, 160s, ISO 400)

Photographer's comment: A bluestriped fangblenny repeatedly scoops up sand from its burrow with its mouth and spits it out. At first glance, the behavior appears random, almost playful, but closer observation reveals a precise and purposeful routine. The fish follows a systematic three-step excavation process, carefully clearing its home grain by grain. This image captures the final and most dramatic stage—the moment the fangblenny launches itself upward from the burrow at roughly a 45-degree angle, forcefully ejecting the remaining sand as far away as possible. The brief burst of motion, frozen in time, highlights both the intelligence and determination hidden within this tiny reef dweller.

Copyright © Sunbong Jung | UnderwaterCompetition.com

Macro - Silver

Photographer: Wojtek Męczyński

Country: Poland

Title: Pregnant Denise

Shooting location: Lembeh, Indonesia

Equipment and settings: OM System OM-1 Mark II, Olympus M.Zuiko 90mm F3.5 Macro, Nauticam housing, Inon Z-240 strobes, Backscatter MW-4300 video light (F18, F160s, ISO 200)

Photographer's comment: Prior to this dive, our guides had mentioned that there was a possibility of encountering a Denise’s pygmy seahorse, but after entering the water, there wasn’t much to see and I remember thinking our chances were slim. Yet, when we reached this small, pristine fan coral, I was amazed—and overjoyed—to find this tiny, pregnant pygmy living there. I took just three or four shots, trying not to disturb the animal too much. It seemed to pose proudly among the branches of the fan.

Copyright © Wojtek Męczyński | UnderwaterCompetition.com

Traditional - Gold

Photographer: Chris Gug

Country: USA

Title: King of the Hill

Shooting location: Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia

Equipment and settings: Nikon Z8, Nikon Z 105mm F2.8 Macro, Nauticam housing, Backscatter HF-1 strobes (F25, 1/25s, ISO 320)

Photographer's comment: On the way back up a deep, sandy muck slope, at 25 feet, I saw my 30th tube anemone of the dive, and I habitually—obsessively—inspect each and every one for symbionts. The prize I was looking for wasn’t just present but perched in the perfect spot, looking like the ruler of its domain. Before beginning to shoot, I knew I wanted a blue background rather than black, so I slowed the shutter speed. Since I had to be quite far back for this composition with my 105mm macro lens, I moved my strobes all the way forward to try to minimize backscatter. Then the challenge was getting a crisp shot at 1/25s (since I’m an ISO noise snob) as the anemone swayed back and forth in the current. So, much to the chagrin of my housing’s already-gritty O-rings, I braced the housing in the sand as a poor excuse for a tripod. I checked this anemone each time I repeated this site over the next few weeks, and the crab was never there again, so I’m glad I dedicated all the time I could when the chance presented itself.

Copyright © Chris Gug | UnderwaterCompetition.com

Traditional - Silver

Photographer: Galice Hoarau

Country: Norway

Title: Shaw’s Sea Snake

Shooting location: Anda, Bohol, Philippines

Equipment and settings: Sony a7R Mark IV, Sony FE 90mm F2.8 Macro, Nauticam housing, Nauticam EMWL-1 with 160° Objective Lens, Retra Flash Pro Max strobes (F16, 1/160s, ISO 640)

Photographer's comment: Encountering this sea snake (Hydrophis sp.) during a dive off Anda in the Philippines, I noticed some rather unusual behavior. First, the snake was rubbing itself on the sand in a vertical U-shape, then it was literally tying itself in knots. I could see pieces of skin hanging at the tail—it was shedding! Although sea snakes are known to exhibit such behavior to help slough off their old skin, it has rarely been captured in a photo—so I knew I had captured something special.

Copyright © Galice Hoarau | UnderwaterCompetition.com

Unrestricted - Gold

Photographer: Karyll Gonzalez

Country: USA

Title: Even Eyes Deserve a Spa Day

Shooting location: Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

Equipment and settings: Nikon D7200, Nikon AF-S 60mm F2.8 Macro, Nauticam housing, Sea&Sea YS-D2 strobes, 10Bar macro snoot (F11, 1/250s, ISO 200)

Photographer's comment: This composite image was created during a multi-week trip to Lembeh, Indonesia. Our dive guide found a black sand patch with multiple snake eels, but this was the only one that had cleaner shrimp associated with it. With the dive guide assisting by holding my snoot, the shrimp moved along the snake eel and I managed to capture this shot with the crustacean over its eye. The sun ball that forms the background was shot later on the trip.

Copyright © Karyll Gonzalez | UnderwaterCompetition.com

Unrestricted - Silver

Photographer: Fan Ping

Country: China

Title: Skull at Green Cave Sink

Shooting location: Meizhou, Guangdong, China

Equipment and settings: Sony a7S Mark III, Sony FE 28–60mm F4–5.6, Nauticam housing, Nauticam WACP-1, DivePro G18 video light (F5, 1/400, ISO 16000)

Photographer's comment: The skull in this photo was the first human remains we saw after descending into Green Cave Sink (绿窟潭), which is thought to have once served as a site for ritual executions. It was resting quietly on a rock ledge, just 15 feet below the surface. Over time, minerals in the water had begun to coat its surface, leaving behind distinct signs of calcification—like a silent rust left by the passing of centuries. In that moment, I didn’t feel fear, or even fascination. What I felt was heavier: This wasn’t a movie prop, or a prank planted by some thrill-seeking explorer. It was real. Someone once lived here. And now, they remained here.

Copyright © Fan Ping | UnderwaterCompetition.com

Over-Under - Gold

Photographer: Anton Sorokin

Country: USA

Title: Sierran Gold

Shooting location: Sierra Nevada mountains, CA, USA

Equipment and settings: Nikon D810, Nikon AF-S 8–15mm F3.5–4.5 Fisheye, Nauticam, Seacam strobes (F16, 1/60s, ISO 400)

Photographer's comment: In the spring, in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, streams fed by snowmelt flow cold and clear. Remarkably resistant to the cold temperatures, Sierra newts (Taricha sierrae) take to the water to breed, spending weeks in the stream. During this time, they will find a mate and lay their eggs on the underside of boulders underwater in deeper pools. From above the water’s surface, a newt appears as a golden-orange shimmer on the bottom of the fast-flowing stream; one has to wonder how often during California’s gold rush prospectors mistook the amphibians for precious metals!

Copyright © Anton Sorokin | UnderwaterCompetition.com

Over-Under - Silver

Photographer: Suliman Alatiqi

Country: Kuwait

Title: Marine-Adapted from Head to Toe

Shooting location: Midriff Islands, Mexico

Equipment and settings: Nikon D850, Nikon AF-S 8–15mm F3.5–4.5 Fisheye, Nauticam housing (F10, 1/125s, ISO 100)

Photographer's comment: This split shot, captured with a close-focus wide-angle technique, aims to emphasize the key features of the brown booby (Sula leucogaster), a sleek, agile seabird perfectly adapted to the open ocean. The brown booby is commonly encountered resting on the water’s surface, its water-repellent feathers preventing it from becoming too heavy for takeoff and also helping insulate its body to maintain heat. Webbed feet allow it to efficiently paddle through the water while diving for food and give it the ability to launch itself from the water’s surface. Meanwhile, the dagger-like shape of its beak helps keep it streamlined when diving to minimize drag, while the sharp tip aids in piercing its slippery prey, such as fish and squid. Finally, its forward-positioned eyes provide binocular overlap, which aids in depth perception when judging plunge-dives.

Copyright © Suliman Alatiqi | UnderwaterCompetition.com

Conservation - Gold

Photographer: James Ferrara

Country: USA

Title: Survivor

Shooting location: Sri Lanka

Equipment and settings: Sony a7R Mark V, Sigma 15mm F1.4 Fisheye, Nauticam housing (F11, 1/800s, ISO 320)

Photographer's comment: While on an expedition in Sri Lanka, we encountered an olive ridley turtle ensnared in ghost fishing nets, drifting amid the active gear of a nearby fishing boat. After speaking with the fishermen and receiving their permission, my wife and I, along with our boat captain, entered the water to help free the animal. As we worked, we discovered the turtle was already missing a front flipper, likely the result of a previous entanglement. Carefully cutting away the ropes, we released its trapped back flipper and watched as it swam free—now relying on only two flippers on one side of its body. The turtle disappeared into the blue, its ultimate fate remaining unknown. What stayed with me was its resilience and undeniable will to survive. I hope this image resonates with the wider public, serving as a quiet but powerful reminder of the lasting impact human activities have on these remarkable marine creatures.

Copyright © James Ferrara | UnderwaterCompetition.com

Conservation - Silver

Photographer: Daniel Taylor

Country: Mexico

Title: Entangled Fates

Shooting location: Baja California Sur, Mexico

Equipment and settings: Canon EOS R, Canon RF 15–35mm F2.8, Nauticam housing (F10, 1/500s, ISO 800)

Photographer's comment: On August 2nd, 2025—less than 48 hours after Baja California’s annual three-month shark fishing ban was lifted—I was exploring the ocean with friends when something caught my eye through binoculars in the distance. At first, it looked like drifting trash. But as we approached, two small fin tips barely breaking the surface beside an empty plastic soda bottle revealed the truth: This male silky shark had mistaken a meal for survival, and lost.

Here, shark fishing often exists within complex and sometimes illegal networks, where intervening can place one’s own life at risk. Before getting closer, we scanned the horizon for nearby boats that might have set the line. Knowing what I would find, our captain stood watch as I entered the water. In that moment, our paths were bound by the same line, but with very different outcomes. The shark’s fate was sealed; mine was a choice. Unable to free it without putting myself in danger, I used the only tool I could safely employ: my camera. I hope the images I took will help to give a voice to those entangled in a system they cannot escape or fight against.

Copyright © Daniel Taylor | UnderwaterCompetition.com

Cold Water - Gold

Photographer: Francesco Visintin

Country: Italy

Title: Blue Crayfish

Shooting location: Tuscany, Italy

Equipment and settings: Nikon Z8, Nikon AF-S 8–15mm F3.5–4.5 Fisheye, Isotta housing, Isotta RED64 strobes (F16, 1/25s, ISO 800)

Photographer's comment: This freshwater crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes italicus) displays an extraordinary blue coloration caused by a rare genetic mutation. While the species is normally camouflaged in hazel or olive tones to blend with the riverbed, a disrupted bond between carotenoid pigments and specific proteins reveals this striking blue hue, an exceptionally uncommon phenomenon in nature. Beyond its unusual appearance, this species is a sensitive indicator of ecosystem health, surviving only in pristine freshwater environments with stable temperatures, high oxygen levels, and minimal human disturbance. Today, its populations are in severe decline due to habitat fragmentation and degradation, the spread of pathogenic agents such as crayfish plague, and increasing pressure from invasive alien predators, including raccoons.

Copyright © Francesco Visintin | UnderwaterCompetition.com

Cold Water - Silver

Photographer: James Ferrara

Country: USA

Title: Killer Light

Shooting location: Norway

Equipment and settings: Sony a7R Mark V, Sigma 15mm F1.4 Fisheye, Nauticam housing (F4, 1/250s, ISO 800)

Photographer's comment: I set out to photograph orcas in the frigid fjords of Norway, where conditions can be unpredictable and often unforgiving. During my time there, however, the weather was nothing short of extraordinary. On this particular day, the sun shone brightly beneath a clear blue sky—an uncommon gift for this time of year. A pod of roughly 10 orcas was actively feeding on herring when one individual broke away from the group and moved toward the light. I followed at a distance as the orca swam calmly into the sunlit water, then suddenly turned and headed directly toward me. At the last possible moment, it veered aside, offering a perfectly framed, full-body view illuminated by cascading rays. Opportunities for a composition like this are rare, requiring timing, trust, and a great deal of luck. I feel incredibly fortunate to have witnessed—and captured—this fleeting, unforgettable moment in the wild.

Copyright © James Ferrara | UnderwaterCompetition.com

Compact - Gold

Photographer: Manuel Wüthrich

Country: Switzerland

Title: Tree of Life

Shooting location: Cenote Dos Pisos, Mexico

Equipment and settings: Sony RX100 Mark VII, Nauticam housing, Nauticam WWL-C, three X-Adventurer M8000 video lights (F2.8, 1/50s, ISO 1600)

Photographer's comment: In Mexico’s Cenote Dos Pisos, earth, water, and time merge into a single, breathing organism. Roots break through the ceiling of the cave and reach deep into the water. Light filters through the earth, bathing the scene in a mysterious glow. Millennia have shaped these formations, and yet everything feels alive. When I dove there, it was the silence that struck me. It was as if nature whispered its story—of rain seeping through limestone, of roots searching for life, and of light offering hope. It was a moment that reminded me how deeply everything is connected.

Copyright © Manuel Wüthrich | UnderwaterCompetition.com

Compact - Silver

Photographer: Johan Letang

Country: France

Title: In Meditation

Shooting location: Tahiti, French Polynesia

Equipment and settings: Canon G7X Mark III, Nauticam housing (F2.2, 1/1600s, ISO 800)

Photographer's comment: This is my favorite snorkeling spot in Tahiti, a place I return to again and again, never expecting the same encounter twice. That day, the ocean offered me this turtle, which was unusually calm and serene. When she rose to the surface, she didn’t simply take a breath and drift back down to rest on the reef. She stayed there, suspended between the marine world and the air above. Floating effortlessly, she slowly changed her position, adjusting her body as if searching for perfect alignment with her surroundings. Watching her, I had the strange and powerful feeling of being in the presence an animal in meditation. It reminded me why I keep coming back. You can enter the same water dozens of times, yet every immersion is a rediscovery of the marine world and its inhabitants, always offering something new to those willing to pause and observe.

Copyright © Johan Letang | UnderwaterCompetition.com

Portfolio - Gold

Photographer: Tom Shlesinger

Country: Israel

Title: Oceans of Life: Coral’s Annual Miracle

Shooting location: Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea, Eilat, Israel

Equipment and settings: Sony a1, Sony FE 12–24mm F2.8, Nauticam housing, Retra Flash Pro Max strobes (F16, 1/60s, ISO 400)

Photographer's comment: In a breathtaking spectacle, thousands of corals spanning vast reef expanses release their reproductive material simultaneously—a fleeting moment that unfolds within minutes, once a year. A vibrant, upside-down snowstorm ensues as billions of colorful eggs and sperm disperse through the currents, converging to create new life. This photographic project, part of an ongoing scientific journey, chronicles the unique reproductive phenomena of corals, shedding light on the intricacies of their underwater world and the challenges they face in an ever-changing environment.

Copyright © Tom Shlesinger | UnderwaterCompetition.com

Portfolio - Silver

Photographer: Frank Aron

Country: Germany

Title: Orange, Black and Green: The Colors of Diving in Flooded Slate Mines

Shooting location: Nuttlar, Germany

Equipment and settings: Sony a7C, Sony FE 28mm F2, Nauticam housing, Nauticam WWL-1, Bigblue VL65000P and other video lights (F8, 1/30s, ISO 2500)

Photographer's comment: Orange rusty remains create a pleasing contrast to the greenish/black walls of the flooded slate mines in northern Germany. My goal in this portfolio is to show this color contrast by using powerful video lights. The orange main subjects are in the foreground of the image, near the camera, so that the color is not absorbed by the water. The greenish/black slate walls form the background, thereby underlining the orange color, which sometimes appears golden. The beams of light and shadows create a certain depth in the image while the illuminated diver provides an important sense of scale.

Copyright © Frank Aron | UnderwaterCompetition.com

2026 World Sports Photography Awards

The winners of the 2026 World Sports Photography Awards have been announced, highlighting impeccable timing, dramatic lighting and memorable moments. The contest showcases work from sports photographers across 24 categories, spanning more than 50 sports, including American Football, Baseball, Football, Formula 1, and more. In addition to Gold, Silver, Bronze and Special Merit awards in each category, the jury selects a Gold, Silver and Bronze Grand Prix award for the three top images.

This year's edition drew a record number of submissions. 23,130 images were submitted by 4120 photographers from 123 countries. "The images recognised this year showcase photographers at their creative best, pushing boundaries, seeing differently and capturing sport in ways we’ve not experienced before," said Richard Shepherd, Product Marketing Senior Manager, Imaging at Canon Europe.

You can see all of the winning images and learn more about the contest at the World Sports Photography Awards website.

Grand Prix - Gold

Photographer: Edgar Su

Image Title: Carlos' Shadow Hits A Ball

Award(s): Grand Prix - Gold, Tennis - Gold

Description: Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 19, 2025 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in action during his fourth round match against Britain's Jack Draper

Grand Prix - Silver

Photographer: Beatriz Ryder da Costa

Image Title: The Underworld

Award(s): Grand Prix - Silver, Aquatic - Gold

Description: We were deep in the Solomon Islands, on an island where we were the first white people anyone had ever seen, and yes, we were worried about saltwater crocs. I snapped the photo not knowing if it had worked, and when I saw it had, the stoke exploded. The waves were not great but that didn't matter, it was that raw, chaotic moment of adventure and disbelief that made it unforgettable.

Grand Prix - Bronze

Photographer: Richard Heathcote

Image Title: India v England layers

Award(s): Grand Prix - Bronze, Cricket - Gold

Description: Not provided

American Football - Silver

Photographer: Kyle Zedaker

Image Title: POV

Award(s): American Football - Silver

Description: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers take the field during team introductions prior to a regular season game. Shot on a rig with an authentic facemask attached, this photo is intended to simulate a players point of view, giving the viewer a true behind the scenes feel at what it's like to be an NFL player.

Aquatic - Silver

Photographer: Petr Slavik

Image Title: Razor

Award(s): Aquatic - Silver

Description: ICF and U23 Wildwater Canoeing World Championships Solkan 2025

Athletics - Gold

Photographer: Kenjiro Matsuo

Image Title: Tokyo Rocket

Award(s): Athletics - Gold

Description: Not provided

Baseball - Gold

Photographer: Steph Chambers

Image Title: Bubble

Award(s): Baseball - Gold

Description: Eugenio Suárez #28 of the Seattle Mariners takes batting practice prior to game five of the American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers at T-Mobile Park on October 10, 2025 in Seattle, Washington.

Basketball - Gold

Photographer: Bob Donnan

Image Title: Breakaway for the Lead

Award(s): Basketball - Gold

Description: Florida guard Alijah Martin gives the Gators the lead for good on a breakaway score in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament.

Boxing - Gold

Photographer: Alexis Goudeau

Image Title: Uppercut

Award(s): Boxing - Gold

Description: Not provided

Cricket - Silver

Photographer: Santanu Banik

Image Title: Pant’s audacious pull electrifies the SCG

Award(s): Cricket - Silver

Description: Rishabh Pant of India unleashes one of his trademark, 360-degree pull shots during day two of the fifth NRMA Insurance Test of the Border–Gavaskar Trophy between Australia and India at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Known for his fearless, unconventional stroke-play, Pant once again chooses attack over caution at a time when his team needs inspiration. Having soaked up pressure and tight bowling, he responds by taking on the short ball and swinging through the line with complete abandon. The full house at the SCG is treated to the kind of audacious batting that has become his calling card. This frame freezes that moment of risk and imagination, with Pant’s body contorted and the bat carving an improbable arc across the sky.

Cycling - Special Merit

Photographer: Ashley & Jered Gruber

Image Title: Pauline Ferrand-Prévot Wins the Tour de France

Award(s): Cycling - Special Merit

Description: Pauline Ferrand-Prévot collapses after winning the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

Equestrian - Gold

Photographer: Morgan Treacy

Image Title: Equine Reflection

Award(s): Equestrian - Gold

Description: Runners and riders reflected in the sand on the beach in Laytown, Ireland's only horse racing event run on a beach under the Rules of Racing.

Football - Gold

Photographer: Luis Amaral

Image Title: Black & White Passion

Award(s): Football - Gold

Description: Emotion that bursts in the moment and finds itself in someone else — the kind of feeling football turns into its own language, especially in the father-and-child bond.

Formula 1 - Bronze

Photographer: Florent Gooden

Image Title: Eau Rouge F1 Train

Award(s): Formula 1 - Bronze

Description: All the F1 cars racing on lap 1 at the famous Eau Rouge & Raidillon corners during the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix

Golf - Silver

Photographer: K.C. Alfred

Image Title: Fore

Award(s): Golf - Silver

Description: Scottie Scheffler chips on the 8th hole of Torrey Pines south during the second round of the Genesis Invitational as a large promotional golf ball is displayed.

Gymnastics - Silver

Photographer: Arnab Sarkar

Image Title: Poise in motion

Award(s): Gymnastics - Silver

Description: In the midst of a flawless leap, she holds the ball gently, her form a symphony of strength and poise. The composition is striking – her hands holding the ball, as if she's holding her head in hand, even as she defies gravity. This fleeting moment, frozen in time, is the essence of artistic gymnastics. This image is taken in skygrace event.

Ice Hockey - Gold

Photographer: Sophia Sandurskaya

Image Title: Last Line of Defense

Award(s): Ice Hockey - Gold

Description: "Moscow, Russian Federation, Megasport Stadium. Kontinental Hockey League. "Spartak" (Moscow) vs "Shanghai Dragons" (Shanghai). Players of "Shanghai Dragons" (in white) and "Spartak" (in red) during the match."

Martial Arts - Gold

Photographer: Tom Jenkins

Image Title: Unusual sumo attack

Award(s): Martial Arts - Gold

Description: Tobizaru sticks a finger up the nose of Takayasu as they fight during the final day of the five day Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall on October 19th 2025 in London, England.

Motor Sports - Special Merit

Photographer: Yana Stancheva

Image Title: Through the rocks

Award(s): Motor Sports - Special Merit

Description: A tricky crossing of a rocky mountain pass during Dakar Rally 2025

Other - Gold

Photographer: Anna Zinovieva

Image Title: Bout

Award(s): Other - Gold

Description: Not provided

Racket Sports - Gold

Photographer: Abelardo Mendes Jr

Image Title: Kim Nayeong - WTT Foz do Iguaçu

Award(s): Racket Sports - Gold

Description: Kim Nayeong (South Korea) - Table Tennis - WTT Star Contender Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil), 01 August 2025

Rugby - Gold

Photographer: Andrew Dowling

Image Title: New Zealand Haka

Award(s): Rugby - Gold

Description: The Haka at the principality stadium in cardiff

Swimming & Diving - Gold

Photographer: Carel du Plessis

Image Title: Catching a breath

Award(s): Swimming & Diving - Gold

Description: Image taken at the XTERRA World Championship in Molveno, Italy. Photo features Henry Bramwell-Reeks, a Triathlete from the United Kingdom. This was taken during the swim leg of the full-distance triathlon on September 27th 2025

Tennis - Silver

Photographer: Joel Marklund

Image Title: All Light on Djokovic

Award(s): Tennis - Silver

Description: Novak Djokovic of Serbia during his match against Flavio Cobolli of Italy in the quarterfinals of men's singles on centre court during day ten of Wimbledon on July 9, 2025 in London, England.

Urban & Extreme - Gold

Photographer: Martin Bissig

Image Title: Klickflippin' India

Award(s): Urban & Extreme - Gold

Description: An athlete finds an improbable line, launching across the void of an ancient Jaipur stepwell.

Venues & Views - Gold

Photographer: Andrew Hancock

Image Title: Championship View

Award(s): Venues & Views - Gold

Description: A circular fisheye lens from above shows the scene as confetti falls from the circular video board atop Mercedes-Benz Stadium as the Ohio State Buckeyes rush the field to celebrate winning the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Winter Sports - Silver

Photographer: Claudia Greco

Image Title: FIS Freestyle World Championships - Women's Aerials in St Moritz

Award(s): Winter Sports - Silver

Description: Freestyle Skiing - FIS Freestyle World Championships - Women's Aerials - St Moritz, Switzerland - March 30, 2025 Australia's Danielle Scott during the warm up before the event REUTERS/Claudia Greco

Photo: Mitchell Clark

We've taken a look at how the Sony a7 V performs when it comes to stills, now it's time to turn our attention to video. The company's latest hybrid is once again in front of our studio scene, and we aim to see how the 4K footage it delivers stacks up compared to its predecessor and competitors.

The a7 V's 4K/24 video is oversampled from 7K capture by default, with no option (or real need) to drop down to a subsampled or line-skipped mode. Thankfully, the footage from that mode has good levels of detail and is competitive with the oversampled modes from cameras like the Canon EOS R6 III and Panasonic S1II. However, both those cameras have higher-resolution recording options (7K for Canon, 6K for Panasonic) that allow you to capture a good deal more detail, something the a7 V lacks, but that could be helpful when you're shooting subjects with very fine detail, or want some room to crop in post.

Moving up to 4K/60, the story is slightly more complicated, as the a7 V has an "Angle of View Priority" mode that you have to turn on if you want to get full-width recording at higher framerates; leaving it off will incur a 1.17x crop. While Sony says that enabling the mode turns off noise reduction, we didn't see a major difference at base ISO. With Angle of View Priority on, the a7 V's 4K/60 footage is a touch more detailed than that from the Canon or Panasonic.

The a7 V requires a 1.52x crop to record 4K/120, thus using less of its sensor (and changing the framing more) than the S1II with its 1.24x crop, and the EOS R6 III with its subsampled but full-width 4K/120 recording. As with 4K/60, with Angle of View Priority off, there's a further crop, adding up to 1.79x.

All that said, the a7 V's 4K/120 footage is substantially more detailed than the EOS R6 III's, and is competitive with the S1II's. We also don't see an observable reduction in detail going from the 4K/24 APS-C mode to the 4K/120 mode.

The 'missing' pieces

There's been a lot of discussion about the features the a7 V is 'missing,' compared with its rivals. But it's worth considering whether these are relevant to you or are just people point-scoring about brands.

Whereas Panasonic and Canon allow open-gate shooting, capturing the whole sensor output, the Sony only shoots in 16:9, UHD 4K. If your workflow requires higher resolution capture, the use of anamorphic lenses or you're trying to compose for both vertical and horizontal delivery, simultaneously (which is an aesthetic challenge, even when it's technologically possible), then those other cameras will be a better choice.

Likewise, if your shooting benefits sufficiently from the increased workflow complexity and storage challenges of shooting raw video (the advantages of which are much less pronounced than in stills shooting), then this isn't the camera for you. But a great many people find that shooting high quality 4K footage is more than sufficient for their needs, and the a7 V appears competitive in this regard.

Ricoh has released a monochrome version of its GR IV enthusiast compact camera. The GR IV Monochrome features the same 26MP BSI CMOS sensor and 28mm equiv F2.8 lens as the color version, but is black-and-white only.

Key specifications

• 26MP BSI CMOS sensor with no color filter array
• On-sensor phase detection
• ISO 160-409,600
• In-lens shutter allows flash sync to 1/4000th sec
• E-shutter allows use of F2.8 at up to 1/16,000 sec
• Built-in red filter, giving punchier blues.
• 53GB of internal memory
• 250 shot-per-charge battery rating
• UHS-I Micro SD memory card slot

The GR IV Monochrome will sell for a recommended price of $2199. This is a 46% premium over the list price of the standard GR IV, suggesting Ricoh feels that the mono version will have a smaller audience to foot the development costs. The MSRP in the UK is £1599, which is only a 33% mark-up over the standard version's original list price.

Index

• What is it
• Body and handling
• Initial impressions
• Specifications
• Press release

What is it?

As the name implies, the Ricoh GR IV Monochrome is a black-and-white only variant of the GR IV.

You get all the usual benefits and costs of a mono-only sensor: a higher base ISO, because less light is being lost to a color filter array (a 2/3 of a stop increase, in this instance), and much sharper detail, as there's no demosaicing taking place.

You also get better noise performance at any given ISO: again because there's no color filter sapping any light, but with that advantage disappearing if the color version can use its lower base ISO.

However, with only a single color channel, there's a lot less flexibility to the Raw files: once the image appears to be clipped, there's no way to approximate highlight data from unclipped channels.

The electronic shutter can deliver exposures down as low as 1/16,000 sec, letting you use the maximum aperture even in good light

To prevent overexposure when shooting at F2.8, the GR IV Monochrome lets you switch from its in-lens shutter to an e-shutter. The electronic shutter can deliver exposures down as low as 1/16,000 sec, letting you use the maximum aperture, even in good light, despite the camera not having an built-in ND filter. As with the regular GR IV, the mechanical shutter has an upper limit of 1/2500 sec at F2.8: you need to stop down to F5.6 to achieve the 1/4000 sec maximum.

Interestingly, Ricoh says the GR IV Monochrome's autofocus is the same as that on the GR IV, which means it has on-sensor phase detection. This would mean that, unlike the Leica Q3 Monochrom, it has to do some degree of interpolation during processing, to hide any impact of those phase-detection pixels. We've not seen any negative impact from this in our preliminary shooting, even when trying to induce flare to highlight any issues.

The company also says that the sensor is not the same one used in the K-3 III, though it wasn't specific about how the two differ.

Red Filter

Other than the lack of color filter array, the other difference is that the GR IV Monochrome has a slot-in red filter, rather than the neutral density filter in the color version. This selectively lowers the impact of blue and green light on the sensor, which gives more dramatic skies and higher contrast, generally.

The filter in the GR IV Monochrome reduces the overall light to the camera by around 3 stops, for a neutral subject (it's around a 4 stop cut for blues, 3.5 for greens and closer to a single stop for reds).

Body and handling

As you might expect, the GR IV Monochrome looks and handles exactly like the regular GR IV: it's a tiny camera for one with such a big sensor and yet it manages to put a lot of control at your fingertips without seeming too cramped.

The finish of the camera is also a little different, with a less textured matte black finish. The shutter button is also black and the GR logo on the front is a very dark grey, rather than white. The green LED ring around the power button is also white, to keep with the monochrome theme. Sadly, Ricoh has not borrowed the beautiful 'Monochrome' typography from its Pentax K-3 III Monochrome DSLR.

The control logic is well worked through, as you'd expect for the eighth generation of a design (prior to 2013's GR, with its APS-C sensor, were four iterations of GR Digital, which used a much smaller Type 1/1.7 sensor in a very similar body).

Despite its size, the GR IV's magnesium alloy body makes it feel very solid, without being overly weighty. And, unlike almost all modern cameras, it will sensibly fit in a pocket.

Ricoh says the GR IV's lens was specifically designed to reduce the risk of dust ingress, but that they had to make the choice between the small form factor that a retractable lens makes possible and complete weather sealing, so there are no promises around the level of sealing.

Initial impressions

Ricoh was kind enough to lend us a pre-production GR IV Monochrome, to let us get a feel for the handling, but we were asked not to make measurements or publish images from it, as it's not necessarily representative of final production performance.

But, even in the limited time we've spent with the camera, its appeal shines through: it forces on you that same way of looking at light and shade that Leica's monochrome cameras bring. And I maintain that using a camera that can only capture black and white is a completely different experience to using a normal camera in mono mode. Knowing that you can't switch, no matter how appealing the colors are in your scene means you solely focus on light, shadow and contrast.

The inclusion of a built-in, switchable red filter is a brilliant idea, letting you add that punch to your images at the touch of a button, without having to add a filter ring adapter or carry filters round with you. I'm sure there'll be people who would have preferred a different color, but red seems like a sensible option since they had to choose one. And the option to engage electronic shutter, so that you can still shoot wide-open in bright conditions feels like a reasonable work-around.

Even more so than the standard GR IV, the Monochrome version is going to be a niche proposition. Some people will immediately know they want one, while I suspect a great many people will be baffled at the idea that a regular GR IV in mono mode wouldn't be similar enough. And cheaper.

The price of adopting a decidedly niche camera is that there are fewer people to share the development costs with. The Ricoh is just over a quarter of the price of the other dedicated mono compact on the market – though the Leica Q3 mono has a sensor more than twice the size and a maximum aperture that's over a stop brighter, so can capture more than four times as much light – but there's still something inherently counter-intuitive about having to spend more, for less.

All photographers inevitably deal with creative droughts or periods when they feel their skills have plateaued. At the end of last year, I wrote about part of why (and how) that's manifested for me over the past few years. For me, one common tool I fall back on to combat such feelings is tackling a specific project or goal related to photography, which I just wrote about as well.

I've completed multiple 365s (a photo a day for a year) and 52-week projects (one photo each week for a year). Most recently, I've accidentally stumbled into a project with a friend that involves alternating who picks a theme each week, and then each creating a photo around that theme. We don't have a set end date, so it could be less than a year or more than a year, but so far, we're about 12 weeks in.

Those are the projects that have helped me, but there are countless other iterations and other types of projects. No matter what, though, the main goal is to force yourself to pick up your camera either to try to generate some creativity or learn new skills.

With that in mind, I'm curious to hear from you all:

What projects are you undertaking to move your photography forward?

Some of you shared a glimpse into your projects in the comments on my recent article, but we'd love to see more. Maybe it's a project you're working on now, or maybe it's something you've done in the past. It could be a week-long project, or maybe a multi-year undertaking.

No matter what, we're curious what projects have helped, or are helping you bring back inspiration or forward momentum to your photography. Even better, share some of the images you've taken for such projects! Your responses and images may even be featured in next week's front-page update.

Image: Fujifilm

Last week, Fujifilm Japan launched a surprising and rather controversial new offering in its Instax lineup, the Instax Mini Evo Cinema. The company has now announced the global release of the hybrid camera, providing more details about its features and capabilities.

The Instax Mini Evo Cinema offers a hybrid experience by combining the ability to take digital images, instant film photos, and record video. It is designed to produce retro-looking videos and photos, and the sensor appears to be a throwback as well. It's built around a shockingly small 5MP Type 1/5 (∼2.8 x 2.2mm) CMOS sensor, which is smaller than even the most budget-focused smartphones. It features a 28mm equiv. lens with F2.0 aperture.

The sensor may be far from impressive, but the Instax Mini Evo Cinema includes plenty of features for those wanting a more playful camera experience. The "Gen Dial," which was referred to as the "Eras Dial" in the Fujifilm Japan press release last week, allows users to apply effects from 10 different eras, including grainy, pale tones for the 1930s, vibrant colors for the 1980s and "sharp, rich imagery of the 2020s."

A lever on the side, intended to evoke a film winding lever, triggers a print. Image: Fujifilm

Users can fine-tune the look of each preset with a dial on the lens, which adjusts color, contrast, and noise in 10 variations per era. There's also a Frame Switch, which allows users to add a frame based on each era to images or video clips.

There's a zoom lever that allows for digital zoom during video recording, though Fujifilm doesn't specify the exact capabilities of that feature. A switch on the side of the camera allows you to change between photo ("Still") and video ("Cine") modes. Videos in most modes are limited to a disappointing 800 x 600px resolution, with only the 2020 mode allowing a 1440 x 1080 capture.

Video clips max out at 15 seconds, but you can combine clips to create videos up to 30 seconds long in the Instax Mini Evo smartphone app. If you choose to print a still image from a video, it features a QR code that, when scanned, allows for playback. Fujifilm specifies that clips are only stored for 24 months, though, so you'll want to be sure to download them before that.

Image: Fujifilm

The camera uses a microSDXC card for storage, and images and videos can also be stored in the Instax Mini Evo app. It features a 1.54-inch LCD and an integrated light that can be used as a flash or a continuous light source. It supports remote shooting with the app and offers a self-timer as well. The camera uses Instax Mini instant film.

The price may be as much of a shock as the sensor size: $410. And you'll also have to buy instant film on top of that, too. Fujifilm says it will be available for purchase at the beginning of February.

Image: Draper

Eric Fossum, the inventor of the modern CMOS image sensor and a longtime friend of DPReview, was recently awarded the 2026 Charles Stark Draper Prize for Engineering. The award, which is granted every two years by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), is one of the most prestigious honors for engineering achievement.

Fossum, a John H. Krehbiel Sr. Professor for Emerging Technologies at Dartmouth, also serves as vice provost for entrepreneurship and technology transfer. The NAE recognizes him "for innovation, development, and commercialization of the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor active pixel image sensor," which remains central to the vast array of cameras we use today. "Eric Fossum is a pioneering semiconductor device physicist and engineer whose invention of the CMOS active pixel image sensor, or 'camera on a chip,' has transformed imaging across everyday life, industry, and scientific discovery," the NAE said in announcing the prize.

"Eric Fossum’s inventions have revolutionized digital imaging across industries"

This is far from the first award for Fossum. It's the latest in a list of well-deserved accolades, including the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, the National Medal for Technology and Innovation, awarded at a White House ceremony last year, a Technical Emmy Award, the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, induction into the US Space Foundation Technology Hall of Fame in 1999, Edwin H. Land Medal recipient and more. His inventions and research have had a revolutionary impact on imaging across many industries, including our own.

"We’re working on sensors that can count photons, one at a time"

An article on the Dartmouth website details the history of Fossum's development of the CMOS sensor, including how it originated as a project to create smaller, energy-efficient cameras for NASA spacecraft. It also discusses Fossum's recent invention, the quanta image sensor, which enables high-resolution imaging in extremely low-light conditions. "We’re working on sensors that can count photons, one at a time," he says."Imagine being able to take a photo in almost complete darkness or measuring extremely faint signals in biology. It’s like turning the lights on in a place that was previously invisible to us."

Fossum has been an active participant in the DPReview forums for many years and has consistently been very helpful to community members. We are honored to have him as part of our community, and wish him a hearty congratulations on his latest award.

Image: Apple

Apple has announced a new app bundle for creatives dubbed Apple Creator Studio. The subscription serves as somewhat of an alternative to Adobe's Creative Cloud, as it includes apps for photo, video and music editing, plus Apple's general productivity apps. Along with the bundle, Apple announced new features for the included apps, including Final Cut Pro, Pixelmator Pro and Logic Pro.

The Apple Creator Studio is a subscription-based bundle designed for video editors, designers, music producers and other creatives. It includes Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro and Pixelmator Pro on Mac and iPad; Motion, Compressor and MainStage on Mac; and Keynote, Pages, Numbers and Freeform for iPhone, iPad and Mac. All of these apps are combined into one subscription, eliminating the need to pay for each app separately.

Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for Mac were, and still are, available as one-time purchases, but the iPad versions have always been subscription-based. The Creator Studio may not be much of a shift for some users, then. Additionally, while all of the apps are still available for purchase (or free, in the case of Keynote, Pages, Numbers and Freeform) separately, the Creator Studio bundle unlocks AI capabilities and other features not available in the standalone apps, such as premium content in Keynote, Pages, Numbers and Freeform.

Pixelmator Pro is now available on the iPad. Image: Apple

In Pixelmator Pro, Creator Studio subscribers will have access to a new Warp tool, allowing users to twist and share payers however they like. Apple says subscribers will also have access to a collection of Warp-powered product mockups. Additionally, Pixelmator Pro is now available for iPad for the first time (including outside of the subscription), offering a new touch- and Apple Pencil-optimized interface. Users can also switch between the iPad and Mac for a more flexible editing experience.

Apple added new search options in Final Cut, making it easier to find specific clips. Image: Apple

Final Cut Pro also gets multiple new features. Transcript Search and Visual Search make it easier for editors to find specific clips, either based on specific soundbites or by searching for an object or action. Beat Detection makes editing to the rhythm of a song easier, thanks to an AI model from Logic Pro. Montage Maker in Final Cut Pro for iPad utilizes AI to automatically analyze and edit a video, making it faster to start an edit or rough cut.

Creator Studio subscribers will also get full access to Motion, a tool for creating 2D and 3D effects. Plus, Apple has added the AI-powered Magnetic Mask tool to Motion, giving graphics creators AI-based masking and tracking without a green screen. The subscription also includes access to Compressor, which fully integrates with Final Cut Pro and Motion.

Logic Pro now offers a tool for turning recordings into chord progressions. Image: Apple

Logic Pro also comes with a host of new features, including a Synth Player in the AI Session Player lineup and Chord ID, which turns recordings into chord progressions. There's also a new Sound Library in Logic Pro, and its Quick Swipe Comping feature is now available on iPad. Finally, Keynote, Pages, Numbers and Freeform will remain free for all users, but Creator Studio subscribers will have access to new "intelligence features."

The Apple Creator Studio will be available on January 28 for $13 per month or $129 per year with a free one-month trial. College students and educators can subscribe for $3 per month or $30 per year.

For those looking for an Adobe alternative, those prices could be quite enticing. After all, Adobe's All Apps plan for individuals costs $70 per month. Adobe's discounted student and educator plan is $25 per month, which isn't much less than the annual cost of Apple's Creator Studio. Plus, you can still access one-time-purchase versions of these apps if you don't want to deal with yet another subscription, something that isn't an option with Adobe.

With no sign of faster SD cards, the CFexpress format is currently coming out on top. Photo: Richard Butler

This year's CES trade show came and went with no apparent progress for the SD memory card format, despite higher speeds and capacities supposedly being in the pipeline. And we believe the camera industry is playing its part in that, having seemingly decided that SD will remain a slower, lesser format.

It's been nearly 18 months since Western Digital said it was planning to launch SDUC cards in 2025, but they're still yet to arrive.

SDUC (Ultra Capacity) cards, which allow capacities to expand beyond the 2TB limit of SDXC cards, up to a maximum of 128TB, should you wish to capture just about every photo you'll ever take on a single card. However, the SDUC standard only pertains to capacity: in theory, SDUC cards can use the original (pre-UHS) interface that ran at a maximum of 25MB/s, and much slower in practice.

More critically, there's also been no sign of any UHS-III cards, the faster standard announced back in 2017, nor any cameras adopting the SD Express interface from 2018, leaving us with an inviting combination of vast capacities and significant lag, while we wait for faster cards.

An inviting combination of vast capacities and significant lag, while we wait for faster cards

Instead, it appears camera makers have decided that high-speed cameras should use the CFexpress format, with SD stalled at the UHS-II interface originally announced 15 years ago.

The challenge is that one of SD's key selling points was backward compatibility: UHS-II slots could still use all previous SD cards at their full speeds. However, the SD Express format adopts the same NVMe protocol used by the CFexpress format, maintaining only 2009 UHS-I speeds when used with existing cards (and vice versa: even the most expensive SD Express card will run as UHS-I speeds if you try to use it in any current camera).

The 2009 UHS-I standard promises up to 104MB/s transfers but none are rated as being able to deliver more than 30MB/s read/write in a sustained manner.

We don't know whether camera makers' reticence to adopt SD Express stems from the potential confusion this limited backward compatibility would risk, or because, once you've included the hardware for NVMe compatibility, you may as well use the well-established, more robust CFexpress format, but we've still yet to see any cameras that use SD express, eight years after it was announced.

Micro SD Express cards exist, but the only major device to use them, so far, is Nintendo's Switch 2 portable console. Image: Samsung

For reference, there was a three-year lag between the SD Association announcing the UHS-II standard and it first being adopted in a camera (the Fujifilm X-T1), meaning the SD Express format appears to currently be running around five years behind schedule.

So, just as we predicted a few years ago, it seems CFexpress looks set to dominate the high-speed, pro-grade end of the market with SD remaining as the more affordable, lower performance option. With unfortunate consequences for mid-range cameras that use a mixture of the two.

Portrait of Britain Vol. 8 Winners

The British Journal of Photography has announced the winners of Portrait of Britain Vol. 8. The contest, which began in 2016, aims to celebrate the diverse mosaic of individuals who make up Great Britain by showcasing portraiture from across the country. This year's edition features 100 winning images, selected from a shortlist of 200 and thousands of overall submissions.

The selected portraits spotlight individuals who were born and raised in the UK, those who have moved there, and those simply passing through, telling the stories of veterans, scientists, fishmongers, ballerinas, farmers, and more. The British Journal of Photography explains that the collection serves as "a reminder that the most compelling stories of Britain do not emerge from geography or ideology but from the extraordinary variety of people who inhabit it."

In addition to the online showcase, Portrait of Britain is committed to bringing photography into public spaces. To that end, the 100 winning images will be displayed on JCDecaux UK’s digital screens across the country from January 12 through February 8. The 200 shortlisted images will also be featured in the Portrait of Britain Vol. 8 photobook, published by Bluecoat Press and sponsored by WePresent, WeTransfer’s arts platform. The book is available for pre-order now.

You can see all the winning and shortlisted images and learn more about the contest on the Portrait of Britain website.

Image credit from left to right: Portrait of Britain vol. 8© Neil Bedford, Emma Stoner, Joanne Coates, Edward Jones, Jaiyana Chelikha, Craig Fleming, Lesley Lau, David Severn and Vladimir Studenic

No More War.

Photographer: Mark Cocksedge

Image title: No More War.

Location: St Leonards

Caption: Portrait of Giles Duley, photographer, writer, chef, presenter and CEO: "Photography is relatively simple. You point a camera in the right direction and press a button. But it has taken me 40 years to determine which direction to point the camera. I realised then with photography, I was not going to be noticed because I wasn’t the best photographer. I was doing nothing particularly unique, and I would have to find a way to ensure my work was seen."

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © Mark Cocksedge

Chris

Photographer: Ben Bradish-Ellames

Image title: Chris

Location: London

Caption: A photograph inspired by the paintings of queer British painter and sculptor, Glyn Philpot. Particularly through his works and portraits of Henry Thomas, circa 1934-35.

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © Ben Bradish-Ellames

Misty Margate

Photographer: Ben Hickling

Image title: Misty Margate

Location: Margate, Thanet

Caption: As Emerson emerged from the mist on Margate Beach, his vibrant winter clothing and bicycle created a striking contrast against the soft, foggy backdrop. This scene felt like
something straight out of a children’s adventure book, full of mystery and possibility. The
coastal atmosphere, combined with the burst of color from Emerson’s attire, made for a
uniquely enchanting moment, which also felt singular and rare for my seaside project.

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © Ben Hickling

Sibling Love

Photographer: Capri McPherson-Noel

Image title: Sibling Love

Location: Camber Sands, Rye.

Caption: Tangled together by kinks, coils and care. The importance of Black siblinghood and Black hair and how it is a rich, layered theme that beautifully weaves together identity, heritage, and connection. We are our own protectors of us and our culture. We must stand united. Be proud.

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © Capri McPherson-Noel

Fatima

Photographer: Craig Fleming

Image title: Fatima

Location: Fenham, Newcastle Upon Tyne

Caption: Fatima Niemogha, who is Deaf, is an independent artist and producer based in London.

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © Craig Fleming

Kae Tempest

Photographer: Darren Skene

Image title: Kae Tempest

Location: Victoria Warehouse - Manchester

Caption: Kae Tempest backstage at Victoria Warehouse during the BBC Radio 6 Music Festival in March 2025. This shot was taken shortly after Kae came off stage, where he performed new material from the album Self Titled for the first time. It was a personal and emotional moment which I felt incredibly privileged to be present for.

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © Darren Skene

Dr. Marco Schioppo (back) and Adam Parke (front) monitoring the ultrastable laser at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), Teddington, London

Photographer: David Severn

Image title: Dr. Marco Schioppo (back) and Adam Parke (front) monitoring the ultrastable laser at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), Teddington, London

Location: Teddington, London

Caption: National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in Teddington operates the UK’s national time scale UTC (NPL) and the UK primary frequency standards, and uses these to contribute to global atomic timekeeping. Atomic timekeeping underpins technologies that are part of our daily lives, such as telecommunications, the internet and global navigation systems. NPL is developing and characterizing a new generation of atomic clocks which are based on laser-cooled trapped ions and atoms with ultra-narrow optical transitions. These optical atomic clocks outperform existing caesium-based atomic clocks in terms of accuracy and stability, with the potential to deliver time and frequency uncertainties 100 times better.
The laboratory participates in European collaborations to verify the international consistency of the new optical atomic clocks, and it is expected that this work will lead to a redefinition of the SI unit of time, the second. Such unprecedented measurement precision would unlock new timing applications, enhanced Earth- and space-based navigation, and new tests of physics beyond the Standard Model.

This portrait shows Marco Schioppo (back) and Adam Parke (front) monitoring one of the
ultrastable lasers developed by them at NPL. These systems generate the most stable
frequency of light in the UK, which contributes to enabling state-of-the-art measurement
precision of the optical atomic clocks at NPL.

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © David Severn

Effat, 89, Iran

Photographer: David Tett

Image title: Effat, 89, Iran

Location: Edgware, London

Caption: "I came to the UK in 2012 to join my daughters, who were already living here. I have no other children, and it was important for me to be close to them. Leaving Iran wasn’t easy. What I found most difficult was missing my sisters. When I first arrived, it was okay – my children took care of me, and that made all the difference. Still, there are things I miss about home: the food, and the weather in particular.

"Not speaking the language has been my biggest challenge. But being surrounded by family has brought me the greatest joy. Their presence has made this place feel like home. If someone I knew was planning to come to the UK, I’d tell them to expect bad weather. But
beyond that, I would hope they’re met with kindness.

"What I wish most now is to live the rest of my life in comfort. I would also like the native
people to show more understanding towards migrants. That would mean a lot."

Effat Saadat was born on November 14th, 1935, in Iran and arrived in the UK in 2012. I
photographed her as part of the 100 Years 100 Migrants project, which features 100 people from 100 different countries and across 100 different ages living in London.

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © David Tett

Sancha Laxmi Chamling Rai

Photographer: Deljeem Rai

Image title: Sancha Laxmi Chamling Rai

Location: Farnborough, UK

Caption: The Kirati Rai are an ancient indigenous group from Nepal. This work explores the Kirati Rai diaspora in the UK, highlighting how their cultural heritage has endured and evolved through celebrations, memories, and migration. The influence of British culture, informed by centuries of Gurkha involvement in the British Army, is quietly evident in their dress and jewellery, the two interwoven cultures creating something entirely unique to this group.

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © Deljeem Rai

Bollyvvitch

Photographer: Edward Jones

Image title: Bollyvvitch

Location: Manchester

Caption: Drag artist, author and singer-songwriter, Bollyvvitch is preparing to release her debut album that showcases her creative expression, as a practicing witch and her lived experiences as a South Asian trans woman.

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © Edward Jones

Elvira

Photographer: Jack Lawson

Image title: Elvira

Location: Clapham, London

Caption: Elvira owned an independent shop on Clapham High Street. Anyone who has walked along that road would recognise her impeccable dress sense and infectious smile. Unfortunately, like many independent shops, it has now closed and is another vacant storefront on a high street.

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © Jack Lawson

Jounaid, Go Back To Where?

Photographer: Jaiyana Chelikha

Image title: Jounaid, Go Back To Where?

Location: Dartmoor National Park

Caption: Go Back to Where? explores identity and belonging through the lens of second-generation immigrants. The subject, half-Moroccan and half-French, was born and raised in the UK, yet his identity is often questioned.

Shot against the vast British moors, a landscape deeply tied to national identity, he wears a
Gandoura, a traditional Moroccan garment. This contrast visually represents the duality of his experience, balancing heritage with the reality of growing up in Britain. His layered styling, blending tradition with contemporary streetwear, reflects the fluidity of identity.

The title challenges the all-too-common demand for immigrants and their descendants to "go back", a phrase that disregards their lived reality. But where is "back" when you are from multiple places at once? This portrait invites the viewer to reconsider what it truly means to belong.

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © Jaiyana Chelikha

Judy in her secret garden

Photographer: James Rogers

Image title: Judy in her secret garden

Location: Aberdare, Wales

Caption: I met Judy at a party, and was instantly drawn to her sincere and whimsical character. She invited me to visit her home, and I knew such an interesting woman would have a house to match. Her eccentric property seemingly stretched on forever, full to the brim of antiques and artifacts she had collected for over 50 years. It was her "secret" garden that caught my eye the most. Like her, it was bursting with colour and character.

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © James Rogers

The Foresters, Tim and the lads

Photographer: Joanne Coates

Image title: The Foresters, Tim and the lads

Location: Yorkshire Dales, UK

Caption: The Foresters of Carlton in Coverdale. In the misty light of the Yorkshire Dales, three generations stand shoulder to shoulder. The keepers of a quiet tradition that spans centuries. They are members of the Foresters, part of the rich but fading tapestry of Friendly societies in the UK. Dressed in ceremonial sashes and heritage green, they mark not just a ritual, but a way of belonging.

Once widespread across Britain, friendly societies offered mutual aid, solidarity, and
community in times before the welfare state. Though their numbers have dwindled, echoes remain, gathered in villages like Carlton, where custom and care still bind neighbors together. The young boy in the center, horn slung across his body, represents the future of this tradition. His father and brother beside him, steady and proud, hold ceremonial staffs signifying protection, unity, and leadership. Their presence is more than costume; it is continuity. This is a testament to the resilience of rural identity and the deep social roots that run through these hills. In a country often rushing forward, the Foresters remind us of what endures when communities come together. Not in competition, but in care.

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © Joanne Coates

Almost Synchro

Photographer: Jonathan Cherry

Image title: Almost Synchro

Location: Portishead Lido

Caption: Almost Synchro is a collective of twenty Bristol-based swimmers, bound by a shared passion for outdoor swimming and the art of moving together in water. The group first formed in 2019 for a mass synchronised performance marking the centenary of Bristol’s Henleaze Swimming Lake. In the years that followed, through the quiet persistence of a smaller core, Almost Synchro emerged as a dedicated ensemble. Their performances, staged both in open water and on dry land, combine playfulness with purpose. While they celebrate the beauty of collective movement, they also use their work to draw attention to urgent issues – from the fight against water pollution to the campaign for safe and accessible bathing spaces for all. This project was originally commissioned by The Simple Things magazine as part of their series on Modern Eccentrics.

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © Jonathan Cherry

Beth After The Race

Photographer: Jude Bytheway

Image title: Beth After The Race

Location: Melton Mowbray, England

Caption: You have to be tough to compete as a cyclist. It’s even harder to progress if you are a woman. Beth cycles for a Scottish development cycling team. She dedicates time, effort and focus over months in order to achieve at a competition. I wanted to capture the emotion after the race, when all the training, the excitement and the effort is over. The portrait is in that moment of exhaustion and vulnerability. Beth works as hard as the male cyclists and deserves the same opportunities.

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © Jude Bytheway

Lisa, Brooks Factory

Photographer: Lloyd Wright

Image title: Lisa, Brooks Factory

Location: Birmingham, UK.

Caption: Lisa was working on one of the machines behind when I asked to take her photograph. She seemed surprised, but I loved the way she held herself, her look felt timeless in the old factory, one of the few workers wearing the traditional machinist jackets and doing so with an ease that felt so natural.

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © Lloyd Wright

Bobby & Courtney

Photographer: Meg Jordan

Image title: Bobby & Courtney

Location: London

Caption: In the run up to their wedding this year, I wanted to capture the couple at home. An exciting moment of change. The gentleness of their touch and the symmetry in their body language really showed the intertwining moment between them.

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © Meg Jordan

Is There Instagram on Mars

Photographer: Neil Bedford

Image title: Is There Instagram on Mars

Location: North Yorkshire Moors

Caption: My niece Florence, photographed as part of an ongoing series, Is There Instagram on Mars? A reactionary project about our obsession with social media, in the same way I was obsessed with aliens and UFO’s as a child. Neither make sense but both bring an idea of a different life.

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © Neil Bedford

Maurice

Photographer: Niamh Shergold

Image title: Maurice

Location: Devon

Caption: Green Grass’ is a series of medium format portraits, capturing people who inspire me in my hometown. Everyone has heard the phrase ‘the grass is greener on the other side'. I grew up believing in this statement, which resulted in never feeling peaceful within myself or content within my life.

Through this ongoing work in progress personal project, I’ve decided to challenge the original concept and rather ‘water my own grass’ by paying attention to where I am and focusing on finding inspiration in the place I’ve spent most of my life so far, a place so ordinary to me. Meeting interesting individuals who have given me a fresh perspective - one which is more positive. I am beginning to find that inner peace and contentment I’ve been seeking elsewhere for so many years.

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of my project so far and has helped shift my
mindset into a much more hopeful and enlightened one. I hope this project can be a reminder to others that ‘the grass is greener where you water it’.

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © Niamh Shergold

Princess Julia in Red

Photographer: Rebecca Zephyr Thomas

Image title: Princess Julia in Red

Location: Fellows Court, Hoxton, East London

Caption: I have been photographing fashion, art and music icon Princess Julia for almost twenty years. We often shoot together, just the two of us, in locations around Julia's East London flat, no stylist, no hair or makeup, just the two of us collaborating. Julia first found fame as one of the faces of the New Romantic movement, and her outfit in this image, at Fellow Court in Hoxton, harks back to that era of fashion.

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © Rebecca Zephyr Thomas

Faith – Islam

Photographer: Ritchie Elder

Image title: Faith – Islam

Location: Water of Leith, Edinburgh

Caption: Portrait of Alaa, a member of the Muslim Women's Association of Edinburgh.
This image is from my documentary project 'Faith', which examines the diversity of religious experience and identity in Edinburgh. This work seeks to foster a deeper understanding of how spirituality shapes daily life, culture, and community. It highlights the unique expressions of religion across different communities, exploring the intersection of faith and personal.

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © Ritchie Elder

Taking Nan for Tea

Photographer: Tom Barrett

Image title: Taking Nan for Tea

Location: Norwich

Caption: This is Adam, a tattoo artist from Norwich, and his Nan, Janet. I met them both in the city center after they'd just had tea together at a local department store. I was on my lunch break and happened to cross paths with them. With my camera in hand, I approached, focusing on Adam: tall, handsome, and heavily tattooed. Janet, on the other hand, was small, neat and compared with Adam, conservative looking. A fine pair indeed. They agreed to a street-style portrait, which I later sent to Adam to share with his family. They were thrilled with the photo. I eventually plucked up the courage to ask if I could photograph them again, explaining that I thought they would be perfect subjects for the Portrait of Britain exhibition.

They kindly agreed, and months later, we met at Nan's house. We drank tea, ate biscuits,
and spent time getting to know one another while making some simple photos. I asked Adam to show his Nan some of his other tattoos, and we all agreed that they added something special to the portraits. Adam's Nan, clearly fond of the tattoos, remarked, "I'd have a tattoo if I wasn't so old." Their closeness and ease with each other was a true cure to the modern anxieties we all face, offering a beautiful example of the family bond.

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © Tom Barrett

Emmanuelle and her dog Alix, at the Brighton beach

Photographer: Rona Bar and Ofek Avshalom

Image title: Emmanuelle and her dog Alix, at the Brighton beach

Location: Brighton, United Kingdom

Caption: Emmanuelle is a model with a disability, living in Brighton, UK, photographed with her dog Alix, at the beach in Brighton, wearing a design by one of her favorite fashion designers. Emmanuelle works as a model and a fashion figure and influencer, she's represented by Zebedee Talent Agency, a modeling agency in the UK that represents people with disabilities and visual differences.

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © Rona Bar and Ofek Avshalom

Andrew

Photographer: Simon Paul Murphy

Image title: Andrew

Location: Kings Park Secondary School, Glasgow, Scotland

Caption: From the project: Kings Park: a portrait of diversity. Working alongside teachers and pupils called "Diversity Ambassadors", we created a project celebrating diversity in an urban Glasgow school.

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © Simon Paul Murphy

Before We Were Proud – Peter and David

Photographer: Steve Reeves

Image title: Before We Were Proud – Peter and David

Location: London

Caption: Part of an ongoing series featuring older members of the LGBTQ community. David and Peter have been together for over 30 years. "We may have met in a sleazy leather bar, but we have so much in common. We both love gardening, classical music, and theatre. We’re so compatible."

"Neither of us was looking for love. The relationship just developed beautifully. And we’re very happy together."

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © Steve Reeves

Letter from the NHS

Photographer: Vivek Vadoliya

Image title: Letter from the NHS

Location: Stevenage

Caption: My mother Sumitra, awaiting results for her illness.

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © Vivek Vadoliya

Henry

Photographer: Stuart Edwards

Image title: Letter from the NHS

Location: Barras Market, Glasgow

Caption: Henry, 78, is a familiar face at the Barras Market – always dressed sharp.

"How you doing, Henry, you good?"

"Better than good — I’m lucky."

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © Stuart Edwards

Jacob, Between Land & Sea

Photographer: Rikii Altamirano

Image title: Jacob, Between Land & Sea

Location: Plymouth, England, UK

Caption: Jacob Amwa, 23, is completing his final year in marine biology in 2025. With roots in Ghana, Nigeria and England, and having grown up in Switzerland, his background is as diverse as his interests. He is passionate about ocean conservation, especially protecting sharks and rays in the Mediterranean. "I want to work somewhere like Spain or Italy, close to the sea and making a difference," he says. Plymouth stood out to him for its strong academic support and coastal environment. "The lecturers care about what they teach. That made me care too." Music is a big part of his life. He finds comfort in artists like Frank Ocean and Daniel Caesar. "I sing by myself in the shower," he says with a smile.

Through photography, I seek to explore identity not only as a personal experience but as
something rooted in place, heritage and belonging. A project like this is a form of cultural
preservation. In capturing people like Jacob in their present moment, we create a human
archive that reflects the richness and diversity of our time. In the future, when we look back at the people who lived in the early twenty-first century, I hope this portrait serve as a
reminder of the beauty of difference, the complexity of identity and the shared humanity that connects us all.

Copyright: Portrait of Britain vol. 8 © Rikii Altamirano

Product of the Year 2025: the results

The final round of voting has closed, and it's time to reveal the winners of our 2025 Readers' Choice Awards! Beginning in December, DPReview readers picked their favorite cameras, zoom lenses and prime lenses released in 2025. The winners of the first round of voting were then pitted against each other for the title of Product of the Year. Take a look and see which products came out on top.

Second runner-up: Sony FE 50-150mm F2 GM

The Sony FE 50-150mm F2 GM won our Readers' Choice Award for Best Zoom Lens of 2025, so it's not surprising to see it land in one of the top three positions in the Product of the Year competition. It pulled in 13.8% of the vote total, just edging out the Canon RF 45mm F1.2 STM for the second runner-up position.

To be sure, the Sony FE 50-150mm F2 GM was one of the most interesting lenses of 2025, offering a combination of fast aperture, a versatile zoom range, and top-notch image quality that can deliver impressive levels of background separation. Even better, its relatively compact size makes it manageable to carry around. We have no doubt this will be one of Sony's most popular lenses for the foreseeable future.

First runner-up: Sony a7 V

The Sony a7 V secured the first runner-up position in our Readers' Choice Product of the Year vote, pulling in 19.5% of the votes cast. That's a solid performance for a camera announced so late in 2025 that it came within a couple of days of missing the deadline for this year's award voting.

We're not surprised it did so well, though. It significantly improves upon its predecessor, the a7 V, arriving with an updated 33MP "partially stacked" sensor that supports 14-bit readout even when shooting at bursts of 30fps. It also features the most up-to-date AF system in Sony's a7 series, pre-burst capture, and much improved video specs, including 4K/60p video derived from 7K capture. And even with its partially stacked sensor, it still manages to deliver impressive dynamic range. We expect this to be Sony's workhorse enthusiast camera for the next several years, and based on your votes, it looks like the a7 V delivers where it counts.

Winner: Nikon Z5II

And the winner of our 2025 Readers' Choice Product of the Year Award is the Nikon Z5II, marking Nikon's third consecutive win, following the Nikon Z8 in 2023 and theNikon Z6III in 2024. That's an impressive run by any measure. Clearly, Nikon is doing something right.

More notably, the Z5II made a clean sweep of all our awards this year. A few weeks ago, we named it the Best Enthusiast Camera of 2025 in our DPReview Annual Awards, as well as our DPReview Product of the Year for 2025. It also won Best Camera in our 2025 Readers' Choice awards, before you chose it as your Product of the Year.

Wow. Just wow.

However, the most impressive part might just be that the Z5II wasn't the most impressive camera introduced this year by any measure, except possibly one: value. It delivers excellent still and video quality, includes in-body image stabilization, Nikon's latest autofocus system, and the fantastic ergonomics we've come to expect from Nikon. And, as we said in an earlier write-up, it comes at a price that's low enough to make you wonder if there's a catch. (There isn't.) To sum up our own Nikon Z5II review, "Very few of us truly need anything more."

An image from my third 365 project, taken in 2012. Photo: Abby Ferguson

Every photographer inevitably goes through periods where they hit a wall. That wall can come from all kinds of things, including a lack of inspiration, growth stagnation or both. But either way, it often leads to not wanting to pick up a camera. While just like exercise, there are times when rest is best (pardon the rhyme), there are also times you're better off pushing through those feelings of apathy.

While I've yet to find a consistent one-size-fits-all fix for the countless times I've been in a creative drought, there's one method I frequently fall back on: tackling various types of photography projects. For me, those projects have taken the form of five separate 365 projects (a photo a day for a year) and three 52-week projects (a photo a week for a year).

Why specific projects help with stagnation

My first 365 (from 2010/2011) challenged me to take photos I wouldn't have otherwise thought of or tried. Photo: Abby Ferguson

No matter the structure, these projects all have the same goal: to give me a reason to pick up my camera when I least feel like it. If I feel like I've plateaued in terms of my skills, leaving the camera on the shelf isn't going to help me move past that. Instead, I'm better off finding ways to challenge myself with my camera. Likewise, if I find I'm lacking inspiration, ignoring my camera often isn’t the way to go. Sometimes forcing myself to pay more attention to what's around me on a daily basis can be just what I need to find that inspiration and feel like myself as a photographer again.

Designing a sustainable project

If the goal is to pick up your camera with some consistency, it's important to plan a project that you think will be sustainable for you and your life. Just like going to the gym, you won't be much better off if you only stick to your plan for a few months and then revert to your old habits.

Luckily, there are essentially endless ways to structure a project so that it's more likely you'll be able to stick to it. But putting some thought into it ahead of time is useful, so you aren't completely winging it during the project (which I've also done). That's not to say rules and guidelines can't shift over time, but having some expectations and guardrails in place will help in getting more out of the project.

Time span and cadence

First, you'll want to decide on how long the project should be and how often you'll want to take pictures. You could decide on a year-long project, such as a 365, 52-week project, or 12-month structure. Or maybe something shorter, like a photo every day for a month, is better for you.

"I won't sugarcoat it: year-long projects, especially 365s, are hard."

I won't sugarcoat it: year-long projects, especially 365s, are hard. That can be even more true if you opt for specific rules, such as requiring the use of your dedicated camera and editing the images on the same day. Such projects can involve a lot of time. Real life doesn't stop when tackling a project like this, and it can feel like a grind at times. Be as realistic as possible (a lot can change in a year) when deciding how long you want the project to last and how often you want to create images.

Open-ended or themed

This image is from a 52-week project I completed in 2010, which was entirely dedicated to taking a self-portrait once a week for a year. Photo: Abby Ferguson

You also have options when it comes to the theme or topic of your project. My 365s have been completely open-ended with no topics or themes to stick to, whereas my 52-week projects always have more structure, such as a self-portrait once a week or a weekly hike with a video and photos for each one.

A more structured project could be beneficial if you have specific skills you want to work on. For example, if you want to improve your lighting, maybe a project that's focused on using artificial light for every image would be best. Or, if you want to improve your portraiture, taking a portrait every day for a year could be a good challenge. The structure could also relate to an area of your portfolio you want to develop more, if you’re trying to find work in a certain niche or genre. The key, as with any goal, is to find something that challenges you, but is still attainable.

Additional boundaries to consider

My last project, completed last year, started as a hiking project to get outside with my dog more, but ended up being a photography and videography project as well, as I set a requirement of creating a Reel for Instagram for every hike. Photo: Abby Ferguson

There are countless boundaries you can put in place to add more challenge or make it easier. For my most recent 365 project, completed in 2020, I allowed myself to use my phone for photos, rather than requiring polished images taken with my dedicated camera every day. Additionally, you could decide to use only unedited images to save yourself some time and effort.

Considering where or how you will share the project is also worthwhile. It may be something just for you, and you might not want to share the photos or videos anywhere. You could plan on combining all of the images into a book when you are done. Or maybe you want to start a blog or share on social media to help keep yourself accountable. There are also many groups specific to these types of projects (including in our forums), and joining one could be a good way to stay motivated, find inspiration, and hold yourself accountable.

Getting through mid‑project slumps

When I was in a slump during my 365s, I would sometimes try a new technique or process to spark some creativity. In this case, I had a single giraffe that I took many individual shots of and then edited together. This was taken during my third 365 in 2012. Photo: Abby Ferguson

For each of the eight year-long projects I've tackled, there have inevitably been mid-project slumps. During every single one, I've debated quitting or found myself off track for various reasons. Whether due to a vacation mid-project, life struggles or just busy times at work, I've inevitably missed days here and there. It may seem counterproductive to have feelings of apathy about a project aimed at addressing apathy, but it's all part of the process in my experience.

As a result, it's important to just keep going. Getting off track for a day or two doesn't mean you need to abandon the whole project and give up. This is where those boundaries you set up (or establish mid-project) can come in handy. Maybe you decide that editing a photo from another day that you hadn't touched yet counts. Or, just move forward, and the project will take a little longer than you originally planned. The important thing is to keep working at it and not let a few missteps derail the entire thing.

Looking back: what a project can change

I recently started a project with a friend, based on prompts that we alternate in choosing to try to overcome my most recent creative slump. This was for a black and white week. Photo: Abby Ferguson

To be honest, tackling a specific project is unlikely to be a dramatic, life-changing experience that will prevent you from ever struggling with your photography. However, it can be a driver of growth and help you learn a great deal about yourself and your photography.

Each of my projects helped me understand more about what inspires me, which is useful even when I'm not tackling a long-term project. Picking up my camera on a regular basis also inevitably improved my skills. And while far from every photograph from these projects was excellent (or even good, for that matter), I did produce a lot of images that I'm very proud of. Plus, they helped me identify subjects and genres I enjoy, guiding my photography over the years. At the risk of being cheesy and motivational, growth is growth, no matter how small.

I came across this sign in a park in St. Petersburg, Russia, many years ago. It says, "Attention! Keep an eye on your things." While the message is serious and a good reminder to tourists, I always thought the illustration was creative and amusing. Photo: Dale Baskin

Our January Editors' photo challenge theme is "Silly Signs."

This month, we're celebrating the silly and strange world of signage that tells an interesting story. Whether you're traveling across the country or just around the corner, show us a photo of a sign with a unique story to tell. It could be a massive billboard along a highway or a quirky notice in your local pub. We can't wait to see what you discover!

Photos can be submitted between Sunday, January 18, and Saturday, January 24 (GMT). The challenge is open to photos captured at any time.

Important: Images MUST include a title and a description 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 read the full rules and to submit your photos for consideration as soon as the challenge opens.

Visit the challenge page to see the full rules

The Khongor Sand Dunes in Mongolia, partially covered by snow and ice. DJI Mavic 2 Pro | ISO 100 | 1/200 sec | F8 Photo: Erez Marom

Today, I'd like to talk about my experience shooting landscapes and wildlife in Mongolia. Known for its remote location and as the world's least densely populated country, Mongolia encompasses some very interesting landscapes and wildlife. While hot in summer, in winter it goes into a deep freeze. Temperatures plummet, and as a result, both landscapes and wildlife change dramatically. It's definitely a whole different place in winter when it comes to photography.

My first visit to wintery Mongolia was in early 2020. A friend and I set out to spend a couple of weeks shooting both the Khongor dunes and the frozen Khuvsgul Lake, but after a week, we had to flee the country since Covid had just begun spreading uncontrollably. As our guides put it, it was either get on the next flight or settle in, set up a ger tent and find a nice Mongolian wife. The second visit, which took place in January 2025, was far better and more fruitful. I will share my images from both these trips in this article and the next.

The first location I visited in Mongolia was the Khongor Sand Dunes. Known as the "Singing Sands," It lies within the Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, extending up to the foot of the high Altai Mountain range. The dunes "sing" (produce a humming sound upon the movement of the sand) mainly in summer. In winter, the dunes are saturated with moisture from falling snow and become something else entirely.

Other than a few snowy patches, I had to settle for ordinary-looking dune shots, without any winter characteristics. Canon 5D IV | Canon 70-300mm Focus stack from 2 shots taken at 182mm | ISO 100 | F16

Another aerial image of the dunes. DJI Mavic 2 Pro | ISO 100 | 1/240 sec | F9 Photos: Erez Marom

Our goal was to shoot the dunes with snow and ice, which proved difficult. There isn't much precipitation in the area, so it's a big gamble, which we didn't really win. There were patches of snow, but it was mainly just dunes. The positive part was that the dunes had gigantic snowy mountains behind them, which is something that you rarely see. This combination really said "Mongolia," which is something I wanted to achieve.

Snowy dunes at the foot of snowy mountains – quite a unique sight. Canon 5D Mark IV | Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM | ISO 100 | 1/250 sec | F9

The next location was one I was supposed to visit back in 2020 but couldn't: Khuvsgul Lake. Khuvsgul is an ancient lake (more than 2 million years old) in northern Mongolia, located near the Russian border and adjacent to the similarly ancient Baikal Lake. As it is with Baikal, Khuvsgul's surface freezes in winter, forming an ice layer thick enough to drive a car on most of its surface. The wind's drag (and to a lesser degree the currents underneath) push parts of the frozen surface against each other, creating a myriad of cracks and shapes which are beautifully visible and shootable using a drone.

These cracks were so nice and symmetrical that they basically dictated the composition, leaving me with very little thinking work. DJI Mavic 3 Classic | ISO 100 | 1/240 sec | F6.3

The lake has several rocky islands, and the movement of the surface pushes ice toward the banks, where it shatters and creates piles of icy debris, perfect for both near-far landscape compositions and abstract photography.

Ice slabs, pushed into a vertical position, created a natural foreground for this shot. Canon R5 Mark II | Canon RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM | ISO 200 | 1/320 sec | F14

An abstract of shapes and light. Canon EOS R5 Mark II | Canon RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM | ISO 100 | 1/100 sec | F11

Large pieces of ice get pushed up onto the lake's banks, adding color and interest to the foreground. Canon R5 Mark II | Canon RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM | ISO 100 | 1/125 sec | F14

I particularly enjoyed shooting aerial abstracts of the lake's surface. The options are endless, plus the ice changes every winter, turning Khuvsgul into a truly infinite source of compositions.

These cracks shot top-down looked like a neural network! DJI Mavic 3 Classic | ISO 100 | 1/100 sec | F6.3

This composition is nice because it shows the huge ice slabs with large cracks between them, the snowy patches dotting the surface, and the smaller cracks filling the ice. Can you spot our car? DJI Mavic 3 Classic | ISO 100 | 1/200 sec | F6.3

I know it doesn't seem like it, but this is 100% natural. As is often the case with abstract photography, it's a bit challenging to perceive the scale of things. Is this a frozen lake or a petri dish? I like the combination of rough surface ice with large cracks, opposed by clear ice with smaller, finer cracks. DJI Mavic 3 Classic | ISO 100 | 1/80 sec | F6.3

These cracks looked just like man-made roads. I was fascinated by the shapes and textures in the ice. DJI Mavic 3 Classic | ISO 100 | 1/100 sec | F6.3 Photos: Erez Marom

Different parts of the lake have different depths and thus different colors. When shooting close to the banks, where the water is shallow, the ice has a more turquoise color. When shooting at the center, where it's deeper, the color is a deep shade of blue.

The larger and smaller cracks combined to create both the foreground and texture of this image. The contour of the bank and the mountains in the background completed the composition. DJI Mavic 3 Classic | ISO 100 | 1/160 sec | F7.1

In the second part of this article, I will talk about shooting landscape in the Jargant River and wildlife in the vast Mongolian Steppe.

Erez Marom is a professional nature photographer, guide and traveller. You can follow Erez's work on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to his mailing list for updates.

If you'd like to experience and shoot some of the world's most fascinating landscapes and wildlife with Erez as your guide, take a look at his unique photography workshops in Zambia, China, Colombia, Vietnam, Madagascar, Ethiopia and more.

Erez has recently published his first e-book, Solving the Puzzle, thoroughly explaining his views about composition in landscape photography and beyond.

Selected Articles by Erez Marom:

• Lava Frenzy: Shooting Fagradalsfjall Volcano
• Behind the Shot: Tambora Sandwich
• Parallelism in Landscape Photography
• Black Hole Sun: Shooting the Total Solar Eclipse in Argentina
• Winds of Change: Shooting Changing landscapes
• Demon of the Deep: Shooting Kawah Ijen Volcano
• Shooting Kīlauea Volcano, Part 1: How to Melt a Drone
• Whatever It Doesn't Take

More practically, the camera is also $200 off at most retailers, too. Photo: Richard Butler

UPDATE Jan. 12: This deal no longer appears to be active on Adorama's website.

Sometimes, sales don't make a ton of sense, but are all the more intriguing for it. That's certainly the case with one Adorama is running right now: if you buy a Fujifilm X-T5 with a 16-80mm F4 lens, you'll not only get $100 off the normal price of the kit, but you'll also receive... a free X half?

Seriously. If you go to the US retailer's page for the X-T5, select that kit lens and set the kit style to "base," you'll see a pop-up saying it comes with a "free gift" valued at $649; a black X half camera. Add it to your cart, and they both show up.

While I haven't fully gone through the checkout process, as far as I can tell this deal is real.

Currently, this deal seems relegated to Adorama. While the X-T5 is on sale at other retailers for the same price, no other stores that we found were throwing in an X half with it.

If we're being honest, it seems like a bit of an odd pairing to us. When we reviewed the X half, we found that it was a fun camera as long as you didn't try to treat it like a serious photography tool. While that might make it seem like a good complement to the X-T5, which is a serious piece of equipment, it's also easy to imagine that the type of person looking to buy an X-T camera might quickly get annoyed by the X half.*

Still, there's probably enough overlap between the two markets that at least a few of our readers will be excited by this news. Adorama doesn't say how long the offer will last, or whether supplies or limited, so if you're in the market for a X-T5 and were curious about the X half, it may be better to act sooner, rather than later.

Also worth noting: the X half has been selling for less than its original MSRP of $850, with several retailers offering it for $649.

* - Though, to overanalyze it further, would that kind of buyer really go for the 16-80mm F4?

Thanks to Jonikon for posting about the deal in our forums.

Image: Consumer Technology Association (CTA)

Today marks the end of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the annual trade show that showcases innovative technology and devices. While photography once played a more prominent role at the event, many major camera companies no longer participate, and headlines now tend to focus on flashy TVs and odd gadgets instead. That doesn't mean there wasn't anything for photographers and videographers, though. We’ve rounded up some of the most interesting photography and videography-related gear unveiled this week so you can see what's new.

Storage

Computers are a core component of CES, so it makes sense that new storage devices are also fairly common throughout the show. This year was no different, with multiple brands unveiling new products.

Other World Computing (OWC)

Image: OWC

OWC made a few announcements at CES this year. First, the ThunderBlade X12 RAID SSD, which was announced last year, is now available with a capacity of 192TB. That's double the capacity of the original device. For video professionals, that much storage isn't out of the realm of reasonable, as Raw video files can be exceptionally large.

The drive is also fast, with promised speeds of up to 6600MB/s peak and 5990MB/s sustained write speeds thanks to its Thunderbolt 5 technology. OWC says it is the first and only Thunderbolt 5 RAID shuttle drive with this capacity in a compact form factor. The drive won't be available until "mid-2026" and no pricing information is available yet. However, the 96TB model costs $16,800, so be prepared for an eye-watering price to match the eye-watering amount of storage.

Image: OWC

OWC also announced a slightly more consumer-friendly product as an extension of its Envoy Ultra Thunderbolt 5 SSD lineup. The company's portable SSD is now available in an 8TB capacity, joining the existing 2TB and 4TB options. OWC says it is the first Thunderbolt 5 bus-powered 8TB drive. It promises speeds of over 6000MB/s with a large amount of storage for professionals on the go. It's also crushproof, dustproof and waterproof, with an IP67 rating. It's still not cheap by any means, with a $1700 price tag, but it is available for purchase now.

Lexar

Image: Lexar

This year marks Lexar's 30th anniversary of being in business, and the brand is celebrating at CES with a range of new flagship products. That includes the Lexar Professional Silver Plus microSDXC UHS-I card, with capacity up to 2TB. Lexar promises 255MB/s read and 180MB/s write speeds, but the V30 rating only guarantees the ability to sustain 30MB/s read/write.

Images: Lexar

The company also showed off the Lexar Air Portable SSD. It's a highly compact SSD that weighs just 17g (0.6oz) and features a carabiner loop, making it easier to keep on hand. It comes in light blue or black, so you can pick one that fits your vibe. Lexar promises speeds up to 400MB/s, and says it offers two-meter drop protection. It's available in 512GB, 1TB and 2TB capacities.

Another SSD on display was the TouchLock Portable SSD. It offers a dual-encryption system with an integrated NFC chip and 128-bit AES hardware encryption. Each drive has a unique ID, allowing access only through a registered smartphone that you tap to unlock. It's highly compact (only 7mm thick and 40g) and magnetic, so it can attach to the back of your iPhone. Like the Air mentioned above, it's available in 512GB, 1TB and 2TB capacities.

Lexar didn't provide pricing or availability information for the new products, so we'll have to wait to see how those shake out.

Hohem

Image: Hohem

Hohem is best known for its budget-friendly gimbals and mics, but now, it's entering a new market: SSDs. The company announced its first SSD, aptly named the SSD-01. It's a smartphone-focused drive with a tiny form factor and a flip-up USB-C plug so you can more easily attach it to your phone for ProRes Raw and Open Gate recording on supported iPhones.

The drive comes in 1TB and 2TB capacities, and Hohem promises 2000MB/s read and 1800MB/s write speeds. It also offers two extra USB-C ports so you can charge devices or plug in accessories like mics. Hohem hasn't said when it will be available, but the 1TB will cost $219 and the 2TB drive will be $339.

Audio

There were also some new microphones on display at CES this week, aimed at creators using either phones or dedicated cameras.

Shure

The updated MV88 now features a USB-C connector for Android phones and modern iPhones. Image: Shure

This year, Shure is updating the MV88, a small, stereo microphone made to plug in to the bottom of your phone via USB-C as an upgrade to your phone's internal microphones. It features an all-metal construction, and has the ability to both swivel and rotate, making it easier to point it at the audio source, no matter which way you're holding your phone.

As with most gadgets these days, there's a corresponding app to give you access to features like auto-leveling, denoising, and the ability to switch the microphone's pickup pattern.

The MV88 works with Android, iOS and most computer operating systems, and will be available later this month for $159.

SmallRig

SmallRig is continuing to push into the wireless microphone space with its new S70 system, which includes two transmitters with built-in lavaliere mics, a receiver made to mount on a camera's hotshoe and plug in via a 3.5mm cable, a receiver designed to plug into a USB-C device and a charging case to keep it all running and in once place.

While the set may not have every feature under the sun – it doesn't support 32-bit float backup recording like the DJI Mic 3 – it's also only $90. The company says it starts to shipping orders to the US on January 12th, and to other regions three days later.

Cameras

Image: Dreame

While there were plenty of robots with cameras and security camera-type devices at CES, there weren't any major camera releases from familiar brands. However, we did see an action camera from a company best known for its robot vacuums: Dreame.

The Dreame Leaptic Cube looks remarkably like the DJI Osmo Nano, which itself is very similar to the Insta360 Go series. Like those, it's a modular camera that can magnetically attach to a pod with a screen, or be worn on its own. However, the Leaptic Cube offers 8K video in 10-bit with 50MP photo resolution and a Type 1/1.3 sensor. Dreame also says the camera offers gyro AI image stabilization and 13.5 stops of dynamic range. It promises 200 minutes of runtime with the pod, pre-recording, wireless control from the pod and gesture control.

There are also other AI features built in, including AI Scene Optimization, which Dream says will recognize scenes such as city nights and fireworks and then enhance vibrance, clarity and depth depending on the scene. It can also automatically edit portraits to "enhance your beauty" while leaving the background untouched.

It certainly looks promising for such a tiny camera. Pricing and availability still haven't been announced, but you can find out more at the Leaptic website.

Gimbals

Hohem

The Hohem iSteady M3 gimbals have built-in cameras for tracking subjects. Image: Hohem

Hohem also introduced two new additions to its gimbal lineup, the iSteady MT3 and MT3 Pro. Both are designed to be used with mirrorless systems with 1.4kg (3.1lbs) and
2.5kg (5.5lbs) payload capacities, respectively, and feature an integrated fill light, but their big trick comes from their built-in cameras. They're not used to capture footage; rather, they allow the gimbal to track a selected subject, letting you focus on just moving the camera, rather than also having to control where the camera is pointed.

The iSteady MT3 can track humans, while the MT3 Pro is also capable of automatically moving the camera to follow pets, vehicles and arbitrary objects as well. The Pro also comes with a detachable remote that wirelessly shows you (or a camera operator) a live feed, while also allowing you to control the gimbal's settings and movements, if you'd rather not leave it up to AI.

Both models include a quick release plate and base, which lets you easily change your camera's orientation from horizontal to vertical, depending on what platform you're shooting video for. They'll be available for pre-order in the US starting on January 20th, with the standard iSteady MT3 going for $329 and the Pro model running $449.