Tree at sunrise, Jebel Akhdar, Oman Fujifilm X-T5 w/ XF14mmF2.8 R | F2.8 R | 1/25 sec | ISO 125 Photo: Paulo Bizarro

DPReview reader, Paulo Bizarro, known as biza43 in the forums, has taken up the challenge of writing about what he carries in his camera bag on photography journeys for our What's in your bag? spotlight series. The series showcases the interesting gear and photography of our community members, and shares their stories of how that gear helped them to capture the perfect shot.

Check out Paulo's gear and nature photography experiences below, all of which have built on his photography, which dates back to the early 1990s.

Submit your photos and story to be featured in 'What's in your bag?'

Meet Paulo Bizarro (biza43)

Home base: Muscat, Oman

Favorite camera and lens: Fujifilm X-E5 with the Voigtlander 27mm F2 – a small, manual-focus combo that Paulo enjoys carrying everywhere, from family outings to long hikes.

Typical photo scenes: Landscapes and travel photography, especially coastal scenery, mountains and desert environments.

“I’ve been photographing since my university days in the 1980s. It started while documenting geology field trips, and it never really stopped.”

Paulo describes himself as a patient landscape photographer who prefers quiet places and often shoots alone. Originally from Portugal, he spent many years exploring the country’s varied scenery, from the mountains in the north to the rugged southwest coast. Hiking trips along the coast were often the perfect excuse to bring a camera along.

His career as a petroleum geologist also gave him opportunities to travel all over the world. Since moving to Oman in the early 2000s, he has continued documenting nearby landscapes, from mountain wadis to as far as the vast dunes of the Empty Quarter. One of his most memorable photographic experiences was visiting that desert for the first time, where the immense red dunes made him feel as if he had arrived on another planet.

Mutrah, Muscat, Oman Fujifilm X-Pro2 w/ Voightländer Nokton 35mm F1.2 | F4 | 1/280 sec | ISO 160 Photo: Paulo Bizarro

What's in Paulo's bag

• Primary cameras: Fujifilm X-T5 and Fujifilm X-E5
• Lenses: Fujinon 14mm F2.8 for wide landscapes, Fujinon 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 for telephoto reach, and Voigtländer 27mm F2, a compact manual-focus lens that Paulo often keeps mounted on the X-E5 for everyday shooting and hikes.
• Tripod: A lightweight travel tripod that has been with him for more than 20 years and still accompanies him on many landscape outings.
• Filters and accessories: Spare batteries, a charger and a Lee Big Stopper filter, which he uses along the coast to smooth water and create long-exposure effects.
• Camera bags: For hiking, he prefers a simple Decathlon backpack rather than a dedicated photo pack. When traveling by air with his full kit, he uses a MindShift BackLight backpack. He also keeps a couple of shoulder bags on hand, including a classic Billingham Hadley and a Think Tank Mirrorless Mover for lighter outings.

Paulo's MindShift BackLight camera bag. Photo: Paulo Bizarro

What other gear makes a difference?

“A few small things always make a big difference. I usually carry spare batteries and a charger, and I still use a lightweight travel tripod that I bought more than 20 years ago. It has been with me on many trips and hikes and is especially useful for landscapes in low light. Along the coast, I often bring a Lee Big Stopper filter, which helps smooth the water and create long-exposure images.”

Carrapateira, Portugal Fujifilm X-Pro2 w/ XF16mmF1.4 R WR | F16 | 1/26 sec | ISO 160 Photo: Paulo Bizarro

How do you adapt your setup to outdoor challenges?

For long hikes or casual walks, he prefers to travel light. Paulo will often bring just a small camera and a single lens. When heading out specifically for landscapes, he will add his wider lens, telephoto zoom and tripod so he can be prepared for changing light or distant details in the scene.

“Most of the time I’m hiking or walking long distances. Depending on where I’m going, keeping things simple helps me focus on the scene rather than the equipment. Weather and light can change quickly outdoors, so being prepared, arriving early and taking time to observe the landscape often makes the biggest difference.”

Milfontes, Portugal Fujifilm X-Pro2 w/ XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR @ 140mm | F5.6 | 1/3 sec | ISO 200 Photo: Paulo Bizarro

Paulo's advice for other photographers

One lesson that keeps Paulo coming back to familiar locations is that there’s always something new to discover. It's often a different lighting scene or a small detail previously overlooked. For Paulo, staying curious and attentive to your surroundings is what keeps photography rewarding.

Discuss with Paulo his photography and gear in the forums.

If you’d like to share your photography setup, tell us about your main camera, lens choices, key settings and strategies. Your photos and story could be featured in the next article!

Editor's note: This article continues a series, 'What's in your bag?', highlighting DPReview community members, their photography and the gear they depend on. Would you like to be featured in a future installment? Tell us a bit about yourself and your photography by filling out this form. If you're selected for a feature, we'll be in touch with next steps.

Submit your photos and story to be featured in 'What's in your bag?'

Samsung recently announced its latest lineup of Galaxy phones at its annual Samsung Unpacked event, unveiling the S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra. The company focused heavily on AI during the event, glossing over some camera hardware upgrades in the S26 Ultra. Those updates are worth looking at more closely, though. Thankfully, YouTuber JerryRigEverything took the time to break down the new flagship to see what's actually going on with the cameras.

In the video, JerryRigEverything meticulously takes apart the phone, looking at just about every component along the way, so it's worth watching all the way through if you are generally interested in the inner workings of smartphones. That said, the camera talk begins at 6:50 if you'd like to skip to that.

The S26 Ultra's 5x telephoto camera sees a notable aperture upgrade, going from F3.4 on the S25 Ultra to F2.9 on this year's model. JerryRigEverything also points out that Samsung has made the telephoto module 22% thinner. To do all of this, Samsung used its "All Lenses on Prism" (ALoP) design, which moves the entire lens group onto the periscope prism surface instead of between the prism and the sensor. The video shows the S25 Ultra's 5x telephoto camera module for comparison, so you can see the difference between the two designs.

The video compares the two 5x telephoto camera modules. Images: JerryRigEverything

The main camera and ultrawide also saw boosts in aperture from the previous generation. The main camera now features an F1.4 aperture, up from last year's F1.7, and the ultrawide now sits at F1.9 compared to the S25 Ultra's F2.2. The 3x telephoto camera is the only one that doesn't get the benefit of a brighter aperture; it keeps the F2.4 of its predecessor.

Other than aperture improvements, three of the phone's cameras retain the same sensors as last year. The 200MP main camera uses a Type 1/1.3 (∼72mm²) sensor, while the 50MP ultrawide uses a Type 1/2.5 (∼24mm²) sensor. The S26 Ultra features two telephoto cameras, including the aforementioned 5x telephoto module with a 50MP Type 1/2.52 (∼24mm²) sensor. The 10MP 3x telephoto camera, however, sees a very slight downgrade in terms of sensor size. It now has a Type 1/3.94 (∼10mm²) sensor compared to the S25 Ultra's Type 1/3.52 (∼12.54mm²).

Beyond cameras, the main upgrade for Samsung's new flagship phone is the latest Snapdragon chip, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. It also offers faster charging: wired up to 60W and wireless up to 25W. Otherwise, the phone leans on AI-related software features rather than big hardware upgrades.

The latest Samsung Galaxy S lineup is available for purchase now, with the S26 Ultra priced at $1299, the same as last year's model.

Image: I'm Back

[This story was originally published on March 12 2026, it has been updated with additional detail after the Kickstarter project launched]

I'm Back, the crowd-funded startup that has spent years trying to deliver on the promise of a digital module for film cameras has taken a step closer to doing so, via a new Kickstarter project.

The Kickstarter is now open and has received over $450,000 worth of funding from nearly 1000 backers. The project says it is targeting the delivery of units to backers by December 2027.

I'm Back Roll Kickstarter

The company says working prototypes exist but that the electronics are not finalized. Development of elements such as printed circuit board assembly, film shaped battery and steps including APS-C sensor integration will be funded from the money raised via Kickstarter.

AI-generated image of how the Bluetooth trigger may look Image: I'm Back

Further details include that there will be modules with between 64 and 256GB of storage. A version designed for Leica M cameras, including a rear door is also offered. No details are given about battery life, other than that it'll be limited. The bluetooth trigger that activates the digital sensor prior to using the camera's shutter to take an exposure has not yet been developed and the mockup shown is noted as being AI-generated.

The company says it it working on an optional external pack that boosts battery life and adds mic input and HDMI out.

The long-held dream of digital modules for film cameras

The concept of a digital module the shape of a roll of 135 film has existed almost as long as digital photography, with DPReview's founder Phil Askey following the story and failure of the Silicon Film project between 1999 to 2001.

Kickstarter-funded project I'm Back has been promising something similar in recent years, and has developed a series of interesting attempts.

Previous attempt: I'm Back Film

These have included a version that required you to remove the rear plate of your film camera and add a large box with a compact camera sensor that took photos of a translucent screen set into the film plane. And, more recently, an insert built around a Four Thirds sensor that slotted into the film bay, but required a large external box for batteries, storage and control.

Like Silicon Film's final attempt, the last-gen I'm Back Film connected to an external box that was home to batteries, processing and controls. Image: I'm Back

Although this attempt came close to the solution that Silicon Film had settled on, before its collapse, we've seen some fairly critical reviews from people who've tried to use it.

Why it's so difficult

And yet, true to the company name, I'm Back has returned, teasing another attempt at the elusive dream of simple film-to-digital conversion, a quarter of a century on.

Details of the I'm Back Roll are relatively sparse, beyond that it'll be built around an APS-C sensor and won't require any external parts. The implication appears to be that, like film, you won't be able to change settings such as ISO, or preview your image until after you've finished shooting and opened the camera up.

The company subsequently confirmed that it will be using the familiar IMX571 sensor from Sony Semiconductor, a 26MP BSI CMOS sensor that appears in a number of popular cameras.

Follow the original Silicon Film story

The company's talk of a "more human way of photographing" immediately makes us wonder why a vastly complex mechanical or electro-mechanical film camera, designed around pretty sophisticated chemistry, should be considered more "human" than a digital device, but it'll be interesting to see what they come up with, this time.

As always, our decision to report on a Kickstarter project should not be seen as an endorsement of the project. I'm Back has a history of successfully completing its projects, but opting to support a project does not guarantee that it will result in a delivered product.

Be Ryder may not have been at home in the water when she was young, but that certainly is the case now. Photo: Serena Lutton

Beatriz (Be) Ryder has built a career in one of photography's most unforgiving spaces: swimming a heavy camera rig into tumultuous surf while trying to capture photographs of the action. From Championship Tour stops with the World Surf League to a silver‑winning frame at the World Sports Photography Awards, her images favor quiet, in‑between moments over the typical hero shots.

Along the way, Ryder has made herself known in a space that's long been dominated by men and become a model for others who want to follow her into the water. I recently had an opportunity to sit down with her over video chat to talk about her path into photography, how she works in the water, and what keeps her swimming back out.

Finding the ocean and photography, slowly

Photo: Be Ryder

Given how comfortable Ryder is in the water, you may never guess that she hasn't been spending time in the ocean since she was young. She grew up in Portugal, where the ocean is really strong and cold, so being in the water wasn't a priority. Photography is somewhat of a different story, though. Ryder's dad was a photographer, and the medium was always a part of her life because of him.

"We used to go on little walks and take photos of things and then go back home, edit the photos and even upload to this website where other photographers would give you feedback on your photos and things," she explained. However, as many of us do as teenagers, she drifted away from the medium.

Things changed when she met her partner, who is a surfer. While at the beach watching him surf, she fell in love with the ocean. Eventually, her partner suggested she pick up a camera while hanging out. "Later on, he was like, 'Instead of sitting at the beach, why don't you try and take photos?'" she recalled. "And I'm like, 'Oh, I guess that's better than sitting there.' So I kind of picked up a camera again then."

She says it was during this time that she fell in love with photography again. Eventually, he gave her a camera, and later on, also gave her a waterproof housing. However, she still wasn't spending much time in the water at that point, so the housing sat on her shelf for over a year.

This image was from Ryder's first-ever shoot in the water, when she finally decided to take out the underwater housing. Canon 600D | EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II | F5.6 | 1/500 sec | ISO 100 Photo: Be Ryder

A trip down the coast in 2018 changed things, and Ryder finally took the step to try out getting in the water with her camera. "I was like, you know what, maybe I'll just take the housing and try it out. So I did, and to this day, my favorite photo that I ever took was in that session. I completely loved it," Ryder explained. "It was a glassy day, the ocean texture was just beautiful, and everything about it was magical. The water was actually warm, and the sun was out. It was sunset. It was just beautiful."

That moment marked the beginning of Ryder's surf photography path. "That kind of started things. I was like, 'Wow, well, if I can do this, then maybe I can do something else,'" she said.

Learning the ropes

For competitions, Ryder mostly uses a 70-200mm lens with her Nikon Z9. Photo: Matt Dunbar

After finishing school, Ryder decided to focus on her surf photography career and moved from Portugal to Australia. She may make shooting from the lineup (the zone where surfers wait for incoming waves) look effortless now, but learning to work in the ocean was a long, self‑directed process. When she first started taking it seriously, she was living in a caravan park at The Pass in Byron Bay, working in a cafe and surf shops and jumping into the water before and after every shift to figure things out. She didn't have mentors or formal training to lean on, so she treated each session as an experiment.

Early on, even the gear made things harder. Her first housing didn't allow her to adjust many settings in the water, so Ryder had to decide everything in advance. "I would just really have to think, okay, so this time I will try this, this time I'll try that," she explained. "And so it was basically like trial and error the whole time for maybe two years." Eventually, she started getting little jobs and meeting other creatives to learn from them. She was also watching heaps of YouTube videos and finding people on Instagram, all with the goal of learning as much as she could and getting information from everywhere.

Photo: Be Ryder

At the same time, Ryder was learning how to exist in the ocean itself. She had to get used to currents, sets and wipeouts, all while holding a camera. She credits living right by the beach with helping her build confidence in the water, since she prioritized getting in the water every single day. "It definitely helped so much moving here and living at the beach because it's literally a matter of the more times you go in the water, the more comfortable you'll feel," she said.

"Literally every time you shoot in the water, you feel vulnerable"

Over time, repetition built confidence, at least at home. But any new break means starting again. "It's like starting not from zero, but learning that spot in specific," she explained. "Literally every time you shoot in the water, you feel vulnerable, and you don't know what to expect, because it's such an unpredictable environment." She's had to get used to feeling like a beginner over and over as her career expanded, but with repetition, her confidence – and skills – grew.

Nikon Z9 | Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm F2.8E FL ED VR | F5.0 | 1/1600 | ISO 500 Photo: Be Ryder

There are still challenges every time, though. For competitions, Ryder is using a Nikon Z9 with a 70-200mm lens in underwater housing. The setup weighs nearly 5 kilos (11 lbs), which makes maneuvering in the waves to capture the action even more challenging. "You basically need to be kicking vertically so that you're out of the water, not shaking too much because otherwise the photo won't be clear enough, and make sure you're not in [the surfer's] way. It's a lot," she explained.

"It is a lot of pressure because it's a live situation that's happening in front of you. People's careers are at stake."

At competitions, there's also a careful balance of being close enough to get the action without getting in the way of the surfer. "It is a lot of pressure because it's a live situation that's happening in front of you. People's careers are at stake, and you're in their field. It's like a tennis player having someone on the court," she explained. "We are very lucky because it's a unique angle and it's a privilege to be able to be in their field and capture that, but at the same time, with that comes heaps of responsibility."

Seeing surfing differently

Ryder took the silver-winning image from the World Sports Photography Awards on a day when conditions weren't great for many reasons, but they decided to play around with some duck dive shots (when you dive under the wave with your board) just to get something. When she looked at the back of the camera after taking this, she knew it was something special. Nikon Z9 | Nikkor Z 24-70mm F2.8 S | F3.2 | 1/5000 sec | ISO 250 Photo: Be Ryder

From the start, Ryder was focused on finding a way to stand out and capture her own vision. She's been less interested in documenting peak action just as everyone else is, and more interested in everything that happens around that moment. "I always try to capture the things that people usually don't look at, like the style or the emotion... the in-between moments," she told me. She knew her work would just blend in if she stuck to the status quo. "We get tired of seeing the exact same things, like always an action moment of the surfer in the center of the image, the color really blue and contrasty. You've seen that, so I'm not going to stand out," Ryder said.

Representation is part of that shift as well. Ryder feels that "women surfing we never see enough," so she's intentional about centering women in her work and making pictures that show a different side of the sport. That's a big reason the quiet duck‑dive image that she created in March of 2025, which later won silver at the World Sports Photography Awards, resonated for her: under the wave, it's not the loud, explosive surf photo audiences expect, but a calm, almost introspective moment that fits exactly with what she's been chasing.

Making space for women in the lineup

Nikon Z9 |Nikkor Z 24-70mm F2.8 S | F5.0 | 1/2500 sec | ISO 320 Photo: Be Ryder

When Ryder joined the World Surf League's (WSL) Championship Tour photo team in 2022, she walked into a space still dominated by older men who had been shooting surf professionally for decades. Because she'd been trained directly by the WSL's photography manager in Australia, she suddenly found herself as the person explaining updated workflows to veterans.

"Imagine a 26-year-old, 1.6m super tiny girl coming in and saying, 'I know you've been doing this for 20 years, but actually, that's not how they want you to do this, and they asked me to teach you,'" she told me. Earning respect in that first year was difficult as a result. Some of her colleagues repeatedly asked, "How did you get here?" and "Where did you come from?" But once they saw her work and spent a season alongside her, then it was okay.

Change has been happening in front of the lens, too. Ryder points to 2022 as the first year the tour offered equal prize money and sent men and women to the same stops, including a historic return of women's competition to Tahiti after more than a decade. Behind the scenes, 2025 quietly delivered another milestone: for the first time, a WSL event was covered by an all‑women photo team – Ryder and another female photographer. This happened as a result of a small scheduling twist that underscored how unusual it still is to see more than one woman holding a camera in the lineup.

Breathing through fear in Tahiti

Ryder's most high‑pressure assignment to date has been preparing to shoot the Olympic surfing events in Teahupo'o, Tahiti, a location that produces waves that intimidate even seasoned pros. Knowing she couldn't rely on instinct alone, she committed to breathwork and underwater training ahead of the trip. Her focus was working specifically on staying calm when held down so she could keep making pictures instead of panicking.

That preparation became the backbone of Breathe, a six‑minute short film created with Morgan Maassen and Dan Scott that follows her as she confronts her fear, learns to trust herself in heavy water, and tries to become the kind of woman in the lineup she never saw growing up. In the film, Ryder says, "Every single step outside of my comfort zone really opened a new door or created a new opportunity." That quote is a fantastic reminder to all photographers, and extends well beyond photography, too.

Belonging, burnout, and what's next

Nikon Z9 | Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm F2.8E FL ED VR | F4.0 | 1/3200 | ISO 200 Photo: Be Ryder

For all the travel and big‑stage moments, Ryder's career hasn't been a straight upward line. To secure some stability, she took a full‑time creative job with McTavish Surfboards in Australia, but the workload eventually left her burned out and questioning how much she could give. She's since stepped back to part‑time, but still enjoys working for the team. "It's really grounding because I have the same team. They're always there, you know? I can travel the world and feel like I'm from everywhere and from nowhere at the same time, but going there kind of makes me feel good, and like I belong somewhere," she explained.

Looking ahead, Ryder wants to keep balancing commercial gigs and WSL work. She also wants to focus on projects that feel personal, folding as much of her own voice as possible into client shoots when she doesn't have the energy for separate passion projects. Workshops, especially women‑focused ones like a recent retreat in Tahiti, are also becoming part of that future. Even if she's hesitant to call herself a mentor, she loves simply sharing what she's learned.

Whatever comes next, her plan is uncomplicated: keep working hard, stay humble and continue opening the door a little wider for the women who will paddle out after her.

You can see more of Ryder's work on her website and Instagram account.

Image: Westend61 / Westend61 via Getty Images

Welcome back to our Question of the Week series! This reader-focused series aims to get our photographic community to share thoughts on all sorts of photography-related topics in our forums. We pose questions about gear, favorite camera stores, advice, problem-solving and more, and you share your thoughts and opinions.

This week, we’re leaning into the holiday spirit! The season of giving (and occasionally re-gifting) is upon us, and that means it’s time to unwrap some memories – both heartwarming and hilarious.

What are the best (and worst) photography-related gifts you've received?

What’s the best photography-related gift you’ve ever received? Maybe it was a dream lens that caused you to take on an adventure deep in the mountains, or a handmade camera strap that’s now an essential part of your kit. And what about the worst? Perhaps someone thought you needed yet another "World’s Best Photographer" mug, or that odd lens filter set that turned every photo a shade of green.

In this edition of our Question of the Week series, we want to hear your gift stories: the memorable, the useful and the truly baffling. Share your favorites (and flops) in the forum link below. Photos of the gifts (or what you created with them) are also more than welcome! We'll highlight some of your most entertaining and heartfelt responses in next week's roundup.

Click here to answer the Question of the week

MOTHRA observing at night. Each mount is equipped with a wide area web cam. Besides the mount in the foreground two others are visible. The skies at El Sauce Observatory in Chile are among the best on Earth for astronomy. The Milky Way is clearly visible, as well as the Large Magellanic Cloud, the patch just right of center. The Large Magellanic Cloud is a neighboring galaxy of the Milky Way. Image: Dragonfly FRO

A new telescope called MOTHRA (Modular Optical Telephoto Hyperspectral Robotic Array) looks less like an observatory and more like a photography gearhead’s fever dream. The system consists of 1140 high-end Canon telephoto lenses, all aimed at the night sky. Instead of a single giant mirror, the rig stitches together the views from every lens to chase down some of the faintest structures in the universe.

This isn't the first time a collection of lenses has been used to function as a single giant telescope. The MOTHRA project stems from the Dragonfly Telephoto Array concept, first commissioned in 2013. It started with eight commercially available Canon EF 400mm F2.8L IS II USM lenses and gradually expanded to two clusters of 24 lenses each. The bug-themed names probably hint at the inspiration they drew from insect eyes, which use a bunch of what are effectively lenses to maximize light capture.

Whereas the Dragonfly array used CCD sensors, the newer project uses nearly 1200 astrophotography cameras built by Atik Cameras. It says it will use an mixture of Apx26 and Apx60 cameras, built around Sony Semiconductor IMX571 and IMX455 BSI CMOS sensors. These are versions of the 26MP APS-C and 60MP full-frame chips familiar in a range of cameras from Fujifilm, Sony, Ricoh, Sigma and Leica. Each camera is controlled by its own Raspberry Pi 4B computer, with another 90 Raspberry Pis helping to guide the array.

Rendering of the completed array. By the end of the year MOTHRA will have 1140 telephoto lenses distributed over 30 individual mounts, in two buildings. Its unique design is optimized for the study of the "cosmic web", a huge network of gas and dark matter that is thought to connect all galaxies in the universe. Rendering: Dragonfly FRO

MOTHRA takes that idea to a new extreme, and represents a "dramatic upscaling of Dragonfly." Like the Dragonfly, though, MOTHRA will use Canon EF 400mm F2.8L lenses, each fitted with ultra-narrowband filters to isolate the faint light of hydrogen gas. The central wavelength of the filters is also adjustable by tilting them, letting each pixel sample a slightly different wavelength. The lenses will be arranged in 30 mounts, which will be held in two buildings, as you can see in the rendering above.

The group says the array of 1140 telephoto lenses will be equivalent to a single 4.8-meter-F0.08 refracting telescope, making it the world’s largest all-lens telescope. The array will be powerful enough to detect ultra-faint gas between galaxies, helping scientists better understand where that gas exists and how it moves through a "web" of dark matter.

The nebula RCW 114, also known as the Dragon’s Heart Nebula, was one of the first objects that MOTHRA looked at. It is the remnant of a star that exploded as a supernova about 20,000 years ago. The MOTHRA image is in the light of ionized hydrogen and spans an area of sky that is 250 times larger than the full moon. Image: Dragonfly FRO

"MOTHRA is a telescope designed around a single idea: maximize discovery space for the dim glow of intergalactic gas," said Pieter van Dokkum, Co-Founder of Dragonfly FRO. "The combination of a huge effective aperture, wide field, and tunable ultra-narrowband filtering opens a new observational regime."

Dragonfly FRO, a research organization spun out of the original Dragonfly Telephoto Array project, is building MOTHRA at the Obstech / El Sauce Observatory in Chile. Construction started in the spring of 2025, and it's expected to be operational by the end of this year.

Pictured: a bounty of riches in 2026. Photo: Richard Butler

If you've shopped for any sort of electronic device recently or have kept up with the news, you've likely caught wind that there's something up with memory chips. But what exactly is going on, and will it affect photographic gear too?

What's happening with the chips?

The inescapable tech story over the past few years has been the emergence of generative AI systems. For reasons that are, frankly, mostly boring, the companies making the AI models need tons of memory and storage to train them. And because investors have been feverishly throwing money at anything branded "AI," they can get their hands on as much as they want. Which is to say: most of it.

There are currently three companies making the chips that end up in almost every device with memory and storage: SK Hynix, Samsung, and Micron. They've all said that demand for both their DRAM and NAND chips has increased enormously, and that they're essentially selling as much as they can make.

Producing these chips is one of the most complicated things that humans do, so you can't just spin up production overnight; it can take years to plan and build new factories, even if you're willing to bet that this isn't all a bubble and that demand will stay this high. That means these companies have to decide where to allocate their supply: do they use the limited number of silicon wafers and production lines they have to make the high-power, expensive chips that several companies with seemingly infinite money are frothing at the mouth to buy, or the lower-margin, run-of-the-mill stuff that powers consumer devices?

You probably won't be shocked to hear which one is winning out. As a result, the prices that consumers and the companies making any consumer devices that have storage and RAM – essentially any piece of tech – have gone up substantially. As for how that's specifically impacted photographers...

How has it affected SD cards?

Photo: Mitchell Clark

It might seem like SD cards should be completely unrelated to the AI fracas; surely the companies training those models are using something much higher-end, right?

Well, yes, but the rub is that SD cards use the same kind of NAND chips as the super-fast SSDs that datacenters need. They're not as advanced, sure, but making one means not making the other, so SD card makers will almost certainly have to pay more for the storage chips they're using.

This price chart is for the Lexar 128GB Silver SD card, but we saw a similar shape for various other cards from them and other brands. Chart: CamelCamelCamel

We're just starting to see price increases hit camera storage, but it's happened fast; according to data from Amazon price tracking site CamelCamelCamel, several of the cards we checked have nearly doubled in price since the end of 2025. This was true of both lower-end cards with 32GB and 64GB capacities, as well as higher-end ones.

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We found a few CFexpress Type B models that didn't seem to have changed much in price over the past year, but those appeared to be exceptions, rather than the rule. Some of our community members, as well as creators on social media, have found models whose prices have increased by over 100%. While it's still possible to get some for pre-AI boom prices, we wouldn't rely on that continuing to be the case as manufacturers continue to sell through stock.

How has it affected computers?

Even if you're lucky enough to have a computer with replaceable or upgradable RAM, you might struggle to afford the parts. Photo: Mathew Anderson

Computer memory, or RAM, has perhaps seen the biggest impact, with prices on upgrade kits doubling or tripling in price. While consumers don't typically install new RAM into their computers – or indeed, even own computers with upgradable memory (thanks, Apple) – those that do will really have to weigh how badly they need it.

It will also likely hurt if you're looking to buy a new computer; manufacturers will also be facing difficulties getting their hands on memory, and will either have to cut how much they include or raise prices. Before the boom, we would've suggested getting at least 32GB of memory, since it was typically a sensible upgrade that could ensure your computer was usable for longer. Now, though, we'd just advise not going below 16GB, if you can help it.

Storage has also been impacted. While SSDs (both portable and internal) don't seem to have their prices hit as hard, many suppliers seem to be struggling to keep them in stock. Unfortunately, conventional spinning disk hard drives also seem to have been hit as well; we've seen several reports from people struggling to find any available to buy, and manufacturers like Western Digital are saying they've sold out their production capacity for at least the next two years. If you're running out of storage on your computer or think you may in the near future, we would suggest you start looking for an external drive now, rather than later.

What's the impact on cameras?

Somewhere on the a7 V's motherboard (or built into the processor) is a memory chip that acts as the camera's buffer. Photo: Mitchell Clark

While most cameras don't have built-in storage, they still need memory for their buffers and to run their operating systems. So far, we haven't seen any manufacturers explicitly cite the shortage as a problem or raise their global prices substantially. However, we also wouldn't be surprised if we see something like that in the future.

Is there an end in sight?

It's hard to say when the situation will get better. Both Micron and SK Hynix have reported selling out their entire production capacity for the rest of 2026. That doesn't mean that nothing will be produced for consumers – presumably some of that capacity has been sold to companies that will package those memory and storage chips into consumer devices – but it does mean that the supply situation isn't likely to change for a while. It's also hard to imagine the situation changing all that much next year, either. Unless stock market enthusiasm for AI tanks and companies have to severely cut back on how much memory and storage they're buying, it's not like there's a ton of new production capacity set to come online in the short term.

What can you do about it?

As for what you can do about it, I again have to be incredibly unhelpful and say that, in the short term, there's not really much to be done on an individual level. Voting with your dollar doesn't work all that well when you're so economically outgunned.

There are a few options, though: you can continue to make do with what you have, while recognizing that you're using a scarce resource. If you were previously a little careless with your memory cards or external hard drives, now's the time to start taking a little better care of them.

You can wait it out, with the hope that the AI bubble will deflate before you need to make any purchases

If you know you'll need to purchase new computer equipment, memory, or storage in the near-to-mid term, you can just accept that prices are more likely to go up, rather than down. Sadly, that means stocking up on what you know you'll need. Or, you can wait it out, with the hope that the AI bubble will deflate before you need to make any purchases... and that when it does, it's in a controlled enough manner that memory and storage prices are still in your top 10 biggest financial concerns.

Ricoh GR IV Monochrome | F2.8 | 1/640 sec | ISO 320 Photo: Richard Butler

We're hard at work on finishing up our review of the Ricoh GR IV Monochrome, a version of the company's latest enthusiast compact with its color filter array removed. We've already seen how it performs in our studio, but in the process of testing it, we've also taken it out and about to capture the world (minus a bit of color).

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

Image: Laowa

Laowa is continuing to be the torchbearer for bringing tilt-shift lenses to modern mirrorless mounts. The company's latest release is the 17mm F4 Zero-D Tilt-Shift / Shift, which is available for Sony E, Nikon Z, Canon RF, Fujifilm GFX, Hasselblad XCD and L mount, though the latter comes with a pretty big caveat that we'll cover in a bit.

There are two versions of the lens, both of which use the same optics: 18 elements in 12 groups, with four extra-low dispersion lenses, two glass aspherical elements and five ultra high refraction glass elements. They both have 14-bladed apertures.

One just supports shifting, which gives you the ability to change perspective while keeping the camera level, which can be especially helpful when shooting architecture. The shift-only model supports 11mm of shift in either direction on full-frame system, or 8mm on a medium format camera.

Image: Laowa

The tilt-shift model bumps that up to 12mm of shift on a full-frame, and adds 12° of tilt (10° on medium format), giving you the ability to manipulate the plane of focus. You can use that to either maximize your depth of field without having to worry about diffraction or to create the miniature effect that tilt-shift lenses are famous for.

The company promises that the lens has no barrel distortion, and says it can focus on subjects as close as 0.25m (9.8") away. It has an 86mm filter thread and a built-in Arca-Swiss compatible lens foot. The mount can easily be rotated with a click of a button and has preset rotation positions in 15° increments. It weighs 810g for the tilt-shift model and 770g for the shift model.

Given that the lens is manual focus only, and that Laowa has brought its other tilting and/or shifting lenses to a wide variety of mounts, it's not surprising to see this lens coming to mounts that are usually more restricted. It is, however, worth noting that the company says the L-mount version isn't compatible with some of the system's most popular cameras: the S5II/X, S1II, S1RII and S1IIE. The company told us this is because the overhang of those cameras' EVF housings protrudes forward over the lens mount. While you can physically mount the lens on one of the camera, the barrel will run into the EVF cladding essentially as soon as you try to rotate it, which severely limits the lens' functionality.

Given that we haven't seen major camera manufacturers like Canon or Nikon release tilt-shift lenses for their most recent systems, it's exciting to see Laowa continue to expand its lineup of them.

The 17mm F4 Zero-D Shift costs $999, and the Tilt-Shift costs $1249. Both are available starting today.

Manufacturer samples

Laowa 17mm F4 Zero-D Tilt-Shift specifications

Image: Frame.io

You can now use Frame.io, the video and image workflow platform that integrates with several pieces of editing software, to automatically upload stills files from certain Nikon cameras to the cloud. The software has supported this kind of workflow for video files for a while, but the new JPEG and Raw support could be convenient if you have a Z6III, Z8, Z9 or ZR.

While some cameras from companies like Fujifilm and Panasonic can connect directly to the Adobe-owned service, that's not quite what's going on with Nikon's implementation. As Frame.io's update notes say: "Using NX MobileAir (iOS and Android), images upload directly from the camera to Frame.io—no need to remove cards or manually transfer files before sharing. From there, editors can move seamlessly into Adobe Lightroom for immediate editing and delivery." It feels a bit funny to describe images as being uploaded "directly" when you need another app in the mix to do it, but theoretically it should be relatively hands-off once you establish the connection.

Nikon offers similar capability with its Imaging Cloud service

If this all sounds familiar, it may be because Nikon offers similar capability with its Imaging Cloud service. With it, supported cameras can automatically upload images to Nikon's cloud, which will then transfer them to services like Dropbox, Google Photos or Lightroom.

While that approach is more convenient in some ways – you use it by directly connecting your camera to Wi-Fi, rather than your phone – the Z8 and Z9 famously haven't received support for Imaging Cloud, despite lower-end cameras like the Z5II and Zf having it. This update gives owners of those cameras an easy way to offload the images they take directly to a cloud service, even if it is a little less flexible.

Image: Adobe

Adobe has announced that its "AI Assistant" for Photoshop is now available in public beta. It's designed to let you describe how you want your image changed to a chatbot, and either have the program carry out the edits for you or tell you how to do them. And, if you're willing to use generative AI, you can even draw on your image to have it add new elements or remove existing ones.

When you open a picture in Photoshop for web or mobile and activate the assistant, it analyzes the image to come up with some suggested edits: things like brightening the foreground or cropping in on the subject. The suggestions come in two categories: do it for me, or show me how. If you have your own edits in mind, you can also type what you want done into the box, and it will either go off and do it or tell you what you should do, sometimes complete with links to the tools you'll need.

The company has been working on the feature behind closed doors for a while now, teasing it early last year before finally announcing it at its Max conference in October. When I spoke to a Photoshop product manager at Adobe's Max conference last year, it was clear that the company is thinking of the AI assistant as an automation tool first, and a learning tool second. However, in the little bit I played around with it, the current version seemed to be at its best when instructing, rather than executing.

This is exactly the kind of edit a beginner might need help with, and I think the answer it came up with is pretty decent for that audience, especially since it gives you links to open the tools.

As an example, I asked it how I could brighten the shadows in an image without also raising the highlights. It came up with a genuinely good answer: add a curves adjustment layer, and drag the shadow adjustment point upwards. It even gave me a link that opened up the Curve tool. However, it also told me it could do it for me, so I told it to give it a shot.

Instead of taking the steps it described, the assistant added a brightness/contrast adjustment layer and just raised the brightness of the entire image, blowing out the highlights. The bot then said: "Shadows are now brighter! 🕶️✨ The adjustment layer focused on lifting the dark areas (like faces and clothing), while the highlights stayed crisp and untouched-no blown-out windows here!" (Especially ironic since the chat box was covering most of the image except for the now blown-out window.)

The tool is at its best when using the tools that Adobe's already been working on automating, such as subject masking and adjustment, and removing objects.

Theoretically, this approach would've worked had it created a layer mask, an edit it was happy to do in other situations, but for whatever reason, it didn't decide to do that. Some other issues I ran into: when I asked it to brighten the foreground of an image, its initial selection was completely incorrect, including patches of the sky, resulting in an oddly splotchy result (though, in fairness, at the end the bot realized things hadn't gone to plan). On another photo, one of the suggested edits was to "enhance the colors for a more vibrant look," which would've been a reasonable suggestion had it not been a black and white photo.

The tool showed me the selection as it was making it, and I thought, "Well, that's not going to go well." And, indeed, it did not.*

There were some successes. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given all the work Adobe has put into distraction removal, the model did a decent job when I asked it to remove extraneous objects from a photo. It's also worth noting that the AI assistant's edits are broken down in the edit history pane, so if it fell over at the last step, you can just undo that and take control yourself. It also shows the tools being used on screen as it (slowly) runs through each step, potentially making it easier to do it yourself next time.

Adobe has also introduced a tool called AI Markup, which lets you sketch something onto your photo and have generative AI add it in for you. AI image generation in Photoshop is nothing new, but this should make it that bit easier to make sure the elements you're trying to add end up where you want them to.

I'm tired of every tool I use showing me endless pop-ups about their AI assistants, but...

I'm tired of every tool I use showing me endless pop-ups about their AI assistants, but I think there's definitely a place for something like this in a program as complicated as Photoshop. As long as it's not too insistent that you use it, it could wind up being a useful teaching tool for those getting into photo editing, or for more obscure edits that you don't quite remember how to do (not everyone will have memorized CollegeHumor's Photoshop tutorial rap for redeye removal). It seems like Adobe has a bit of work to do before the tool can reliably automate tiresome tasks, but the bones for that system are clearly here.

The AI Assistant is available in Photoshop for the web and mobile, and AI Markup is available in the web version. Adobe says Creative Cloud subscribers will have unlimited image generation with the tool until April 9th; after that, it'll presumably fall back to using however many credits are included in your plan. If you're a free Photoshop for web user, you'll get 20 image generations.

* - In fairness, giving it a JPEG with such high contrast wasn't really setting it up for success, but I at least expected it to select the black part of the image and try to brighten it. I would've tried it with the Raw, but Photoshop for web couldn't open it.

Photo: Abby Ferguson

Google recently released its latest entry-level smartphone, the Pixel 10a. The updates are modest overall, with the most visible change being a redesigned camera array that now sits flush with the back of the phone. We took the 10a on a recent trip to Japan for CP+ to see how its cameras handled a variety of situations.

Despite the slimmer design, the camera hardware is unchanged from the Pixel 9a. Like the previous model, it features a 48MP main camera with a Type 1/2 (~31mm²) sensor and a 13MP ultra wide camera with a Type 1/3.1 (~19mm²) sensor. Google has carried over some of the AI-focused photography features from the 10‑series phones, such as Auto Best Take and Camera Coach, which aim to help users capture stronger images with less effort. Otherwise, the Pixel 10a feels very familiar if you have used the 9a.

"The Pixel 10a feels very familiar if you have used the 9a."

That similarity extends to image quality. You would be hard-pressed to tell the difference between photos from the 9a and 10a. In good light, the phone's two cameras perform well enough. When the light gets dim, though, along comes the noise. That's especially evident in the night photos with vast expanses of open sky or other dark areas, which you can see in the gallery below. Night Mode does seem to help with some of that noise, and also adds some lightness at times. But it's important to note that, unlike other phones, the Pixel 10a does not automatically switch between camera modes. If you want to use Night Mode, you'll need to manually select that in dark conditions.

The Pixel 10a is not aimed at photographers who want to use their phone as a somewhat serious camera; that role remains reserved for the higher-end 10‑series models, especially the Pro versions. But for people who want a compact, relatively affordable phone that can reliably capture everyday memories, the Pixel 10a’s cameras can get the job done.

Mitchell and Abby got to experience the (overwhelming) magic of a Yodobashi camera store for the first time on their trip to CP+. Photo: Abby Ferguson

The DPReview team recently returned from CP+, the camera industry's official trade show held in Yokohama, Japan. Most of our focus was, naturally, on the show and interviewing executives from the major camera and lens companies. However, we also had some time before and after CP+ to wander around, taking photographs and checking out some of Japan's camera store offerings.

This trip marked Abby's first time in Japan, and it was a second journey to the country for me (Mitchell). Now that we've been back for a bit, we wanted to take some time to reflect on our experiences there beyond CP+.

Seeing a new place through the same lens

Nikon Z8 | Viltrox 35mm F1.2 Lab | F8 | 1/400 sec | ISO 64 | Processed in Capture One Photo: Mitchell Clark

Mitchell's thoughts

If you've spent any time on gear-related forums such as ours, there's a bit of advice you've probably seen pop up anytime someone asks about upgrading their equipment: you should spend the money you would've spent on a camera/lens on taking a trip with your current kit instead.

While I obviously don't think that's always true, this trip showed me that there is definitely some wisdom there. Being in a completely new place (I've been to Osaka, which has quite a different vibe from Tokyo and Yokohama), where many things are unfamiliar, helped get me out of my photographic rut. I found interesting new angles to shoot things in, and tried out things I might not have at home, just because I was inspired and excited to be doing photography again. Travel, even if it's mainly for work, was a great way to get my creative energy going (especially after what's been a particularly dull and uninspiring winter at home).

Even when I wasn't taking pictures for work, I was constantly pulling out my phone to capture interesting compositions that I saw. iPhone 15 Pro | Rear wide camera | Cropped to 4:3 Photo: Mitchell Clark

As someone who often shoots at night, I was also delighted to find that Tokyo, in particular, is one of the most well-lit cities I've ever been in. That meant that I was still able to get pictures late into the evening, no matter where I went, something that's definitely not the case in my more rural neck of the woods.

It's also astoundingly dense, its streets and alleyways bursting with people and things to take pictures of. If I'm doing a photowalk in downtown Spokane, it might take me an hour or two to come up with 10-15 good images, especially if I'm trying to find subjects I haven't shot before. In Tokyo, it felt like I could do that or more in fifteen minutes and a few blocks.

Abby's thoughts

The colors, textures and lights in Tokyo and Yokohama were feasts for my eyes. Edited in Adobe Photoshop. Panasonic S1RII | Viltrox AF 16mm F1.8 | F3.5 | 1/80 sec | ISO 500 Photo: Abby Ferguson

I'll start by echoing Mitchell's comments about taking a trip somewhere new. Just like he experienced, this trip to Japan felt like a little rekindling of my photography. It was very refreshing to be someplace new in general, especially somewhere drastically different in almost every way from where I currently live.

Both Tokyo and Yokohama, where I spent all of my time, are absolutely filled with color and lights. The densely packed architecture and infrastructure of both places create lots of interesting opportunities for photography, with rich lines, textures and shapes to play with. It was like a photographer's playground in many ways.

SOOC JPEG Panasonic S1RII | Viltrox AF 16mm F1.8 | F2.2 | 1/20 sec | ISO 640 Photo: Abby Ferguson

Now, this could very well be the case in any major city (which I do not live in at the moment), but it was still fun to have so many opportunities for photographs. I went out with my 35mm film camera on my last day, with just a few hours before needing to catch a train to the airport and easily shot through an entire roll of film. It typically takes me a few days to do that, even when I'm in new locations that I'm excited about.

Another thing I noticed was that we were far from the only photographers wandering around, even well away from CP+. Yokohama is a tourist-rich city, so that may be part of it, but I saw a good number of people walking around with dedicated cameras, which is quite different from what I'm used to. Even though I live in a touristy area, I rarely see photographers out and about. Maybe I felt emboldened by this, but I even worked up the courage to ask two women who were painting near a bridge if I could photograph them, something I never do where I live.

A rich camera history: Shinjuku's used camera stores

I was in constant awe, looking around the used camera stores. Photo: Mitchell Clark

Abby's experience

I love old cameras, particularly old film cameras. Where I currently live, and really everywhere I've lived in the US, options for shopping around for these cameras in person are remarkably slim. There are a few stores more than an hour's drive away from me right now, but the selection is very small at each. That's also more than I had access to in most of the other places I've lived, and this is the seventh state I've called home.

My experience in Japan was completely different. We went to Shinjuku City while in Tokyo, and within just a few block radius, went into six different camera stores. There were more in that immediate area that we didn't check out, too, and countless beyond that one neighborhood. Even in Yokohama, I found a handful of shops within walking distance and a few more within public transportation distance of CP+.

While most of these shops were quite small, they were absolutely filled to the brim with cameras and lenses. Each was packed with glass cases with rows and rows of cameras and lenses, and many also had boxes on the floor with even more to choose from, if you were willing to hunt through them to maybe find a gem. The selection was downright overwhelming at times, especially since I didn't have a specific one in mind (other than my husband's request for a Canon P). I could have easily come home with a suitcase full of cameras if my budget had allowed for it.

I hadn't set out specifically for the Olympus M-1. But I saw one in the last shop I checked out, and looked it up since I hadn't heard of it before. The history (and condition of this one) sold me. Google Pixel 10a | Rear wide camera Photo: Abby Ferguson

It was also fascinating seeing so many brands and cameras that I'd never even heard of. I am kicking myself for not writing some of them down to look up later, because there were some very intriguing names and form factors. I ended up buying an Olympus M-1 for myself, which I hadn't even heard of before I looked it up in the store after seeing one.

Mitchell's experience

My one thought as a 1.8m tall American who was wearing a backpack to carry all our filming gear: these stores were DENSE. I barely had room to turn around, and trying to get to a specific aisle could feel like a sliding tile puzzle if someone was between you and it. I remember one store in particular where it was the three of us, and then another person shopping there; when two more people came in, the shopkeeper laughed, saying, “Too many people!”

This isn’t at all meant to be a complaint – it’s part of the density that gave the city its charm – but it’s worth being aware of if you’re going shopping at them. Had I realized just how small they were, I might’ve opted to film with a phone, rather than my full-size camera and backpack full of supporting gear.

Experience of Yodobashi Camera for the first time

My local Best Buy is a surprisingly competent camera store, but certainly doesn't stock every color of the Nikon Zf... nor practically every other camera and lens that Nikon makes. iPhone 15 Pro | Rear wide camera Photo: Mitchell Clark

Mitchell's thoughts

As part of our trip, our coworker Dale Baskin recommended that we all go to the Yodobashi Camera store in Akihabara, partially for the sheer experience of shopping at a photographic Mecca, and partially because he thought it'd make for a really good video for social media (it did). And despite all the things he told us about it, it still ended up being a much more interesting experience than I'd thought.

The first thing that became apparent right when we walked in was that, despite its name, the store sells much more than camera gear (though I suppose that should've been obvious given that it was seven stories tall). You don't even get to the main photography section until the third floor, after you've gone through a maze of smartphones, computers, monitors, networking equipment, printers and enough cables and accessories for the aforementioned to make a Best Buy blush.

Once you make it to the photo level, though, it is absolutely glorious. They have pretty much every current camera and lens, not just available, but out on the shelves for you to play with. (Though, perhaps unsurprisingly, the one camera I didn't see was a Fujifilm X100VI). Basically, every kind of photography is represented: there were booths for pretty much every brand, as well as displays for various lens makers, video cameras of all shapes and sizes, flashes, film cameras and film to put in them and more. They had pretty much every kind of Instax (which we noted were all completely sold out), and even a wide array of itty-bitty toy cameras for the kids or camera-curious.

It's not all fancy cameras at Yotobashi; they also stock the increasingly popular cheap point-and-shoots and charm-sized cameras. Photo: Dale Baskin

Of course, it's not just the cameras, it's the accessories too. You can get flashes, tripods, printers and paper for them, bags, film, straps, whatever. The experience really highlighted the fact that there's currently nothing even remotely comparable where I live; no stores that I could go to and feel assured that they would have a particular hotshoe cover or filter ring adapter. For most types of photo gear, if I want it, I’ll have to order it and wait a few days for it to arrive. It’s very cool to experience a store that sells basically everything I could ever want as a photographer.

One final note is that I was told to expect complete sensory overload, and I have to say that I was a little disappointed. Sure, the constant music and announcements took some getting used to, but it wasn't particularly overwhelming; I was mostly just excited to be there. However, your mileage may vary: it may just be that I've completely cooked my brain by listening to YouTube videos at 2x while also playing video games, and that others would find the sheer density of products and information to be too much to take in.

Abby's thoughts

Overall, I very much agree with Mitchell's takeaways. I was surprised by the sheer variety of items at Yodobashi, as there's plenty there that has nothing to do with photography. I really enjoyed and appreciated how well-rounded the photography items were, though. There were products for every step of the photographic process. That included a wide range of inkjet papers, which you normally don't see in camera stores.

Where our opinions differ, though, is in regards to sensory overload. I have not destroyed my brain like Mitchell has, so I did find it completely overwhelming. I was very glad to leave the store when we did for the comparatively quiet streets of Tokyo.

Dale Baskin shopping for that perfect camera. Photo: Mitchell Clark

Get ready for another AMA (Ask 'Me' Anything) with the DPReview editorial team!

The CP+ Japan trip team

• Dale Baskin (Managing Editor)
• Mitchell Clark (Reviews Editor)
• Abby Ferguson (News Editor)

On Wednesday, March 11th, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. UTC (9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Pacific Time / 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time), our team will join you in the forums to answer questions live about their trip to Japanese camera stores. You can ask anything related to the used stores we visited, cameras we may have seen, what we thought of Japan, and the state of the camera industry around it all.

Click here to participate in the AMA

Meanwhile, check out this epic camera store adventure at Yodobashi Camera in Tokyo:

And this one, where Abby hunts for her dream film camera:

Dale also had a camera-buying adventure of his own.

We're looking forward to chatting with you in the forums this Wednesday!

Photo: Richard Butler

As we're working on reviewing the Ricoh GR IV Monochrome, we've put it in front of our studio test scene to see how it performs. And, while it's one thing to know intellectually that the lack of a color filter array improves certain aspects of image quality, it's impressive to see it actually in action.

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

Like its color sibling, the GR IV Monochrome's 26MP BSI CMOS captures a very good level of detail in its Raws. However, thanks to the lack of demosaicing, the black and white images look noticably sharper, even compared to the files from the higher-resolution Fujifilm X100VI.

The Monochrome doesn't have a noise advantage if you compare its base ISO performance to that of the color version, but its base ISO is 2/3EV higher, so it's delivering a comparable result despite being exposed to less light. Once you bump up to ISO 200, and give the two versions the same exposure though, the difference starts to become apparent: the GR IV Monochrome has less noise than its APS-C counterparts, and comes much closer to full-frame cameras.

This continues to be the case through mid to high ISOs, and the GR IV Monochrome continues to produce passable images well into ranges that we wouldn't bother with on a color camera; in addition to not losing light to any color filters, it probably helps that luma noise won't be as distracting as chroma noise to most viewers. Ricoh lets you go all the way up to a ludicrous ISO 409,600, though by that point the image has, unsurprisingly, truly fallen apart.

As we saw with the GR IV, Ricoh's JPEG engine doesn't quite manage to include all the detail that the camera's Raws do, though the results are still very nice to look at. At higher ISOs, though, the effects of noise reduction on the Monochrome's images are less noticeable; the JPEGs show more detail than their color counterparts, even if you compare images that received a stop less light".

This is typically where we'd discuss the JPEG colors but, of course, the GR IV Monochrome doesn't capture any. There is a cost for the extra detail and improved noise, after all.

Exposure Latitude | ISO Invariance

Like the standard GR IV, the Monochrome offers excellent dynamic range performance with relatively low read noise, giving you room to boost shadows, or to shoot at ISO 160 for maximum dynamic range and brighten to your preferred lightness in post without introducing too much additional noise.

With that said, it's worth remembering that once your highlights are clipped on a monochrome camera, they're gone. With a color camera, you have the chance of pulling back at least some detail from one of the three color channels, but that's not an option with the Monochrome.

If you want to go into more detail on the 28mm equiv. F2.8 lens that this camera shares with the original GR IV, you can check out our review of that camera. The short version, though, is that it's impressively sharp edge-to-edge given its size, even wide open, though it has a fair amount of vignetting throughout its aperture range.

Our studio scene didn't reveal anything surprising about the GR IV Monochrome, but that's not a bad thing. It turns in an impressive performance, producing sharper images with less noise than the standard GR IV, at the same settings. Given that the GR IV was already a benchmark in image quality for a camera of its size, we can't complain about that.

Photo: Abby Ferguson

It’s been less than a week since I returned from Japan and my first time at the CP+ Expo, and I’m still processing all that I experienced there. We’ve already shared our team discussion from Yokohama, but after a bit of time (and while still fighting some serious jet lag), I wanted to jot down a few thoughts about what stood out the most from my first time at CP+.

The show isn't just about gear

OM System had two gallery spaces, one with black walls and one with white. Photo: Abby Ferguson

One of the biggest surprises for me, as a CP+ newbie, was how many non-gear-related activities and displays there were. Prior to attending, I was under the impression that the show was strictly about lenses, cameras, lights, tripods and so on. I assumed the focus was entirely on the technical side of photography, not necessarily the creative.

While I certainly appreciate the gear side of things (I do work at DPReview, after all), the creative side is where my foundation in photography began and is what continues to fuel me. So I was pleasantly surprised and very excited to see so many things dedicated to the craft of photography outside of gear.

Every major booth had a stage where they hosted photographers to give presentations on their work. Unfortunately, I don't speak Japanese, so I couldn't understand any of them, but it was still exciting to see. Each major manufacturer also had at least a small gallery (some had more than one) with prints from photographers. Those images were, of course, meant to showcase how good the company's gear is, but I still appreciated that they were highlighting interesting pictures.

Fujifilm had very attractive books dedicated to each of its different film simulations. Photo: Abby Ferguson

My favorite creative parts of CP+, though, were the book-related ones. Sigma's booth featured a long bookshelf full of photo books. Some were iconic photo books by artists like Robert Mapplethorpe, Vivian Maier and Ed Ruscha. There were also two books that marked the kick-off of the Sigma Foundation, a funding mechanism to support and promote photographic artists. As a side note, the Sigma booth featured a beautifully minimalist design with flowing white curtains, which reminded me of some of my all-time favorite works by Carrie Mae Weems.

I couldn't resist this photo book by Daisuke Yamamoto at the zine fair. Photo: Abby Ferguson

We also stumbled on the zine fair at CP+, which was a delightful surprise. This was the first year for the zine section at CP+. It replaced the used camera market that used to be at the show, and perhaps signals a move by organizers to include more art moving forward. The zine festival was separate from the main floor and consisted of a large room filled with tables featuring individual creatives showcasing their photo-related books and zines. It was wonderful to walk around, talk to the artists about their work and see the creativity and diversity of the work on display. I even bought a photo book, since I couldn't resist leaving with something.

Yes, the gear is impressive

It's really neat seeing a wall of cameras and lenses. Photo: Abby Ferguson

I know I just wrote about how much I loved that the show isn't only about equipment, but gear is still the main focus of CP+. And it is indeed cool to see brands put all their lenses, cameras, and accessories on full display in one small area. Regardless of your brand loyalty, it's flat-out neat (and very satisfying) seeing a wall of pristine lenses.

Walking through the show floor was a good reminder of the sheer number of options we have these days as photographers. It is almost overwhelming seeing it all in one place, in fact. No matter your style, needs, or preferences, there will be gear that fits, and seeing everything on display made that abundantly clear.

Like-minded individuals

Photo: Abby Ferguson

Photography can be an isolating activity. After all, so much of the medium happens behind a camera or a screen. As an introvert, it’s easy for me to stay in that bubble, focused on my own projects. But every time I put myself in situations to join other photographers in some manner, it's refreshing.

While I wasn't necessarily talking with lots of people on the CP+ show floor outside of brand interviews, it was fun to simply be surrounded by so many (so very many) people interested in photography in some capacity. It was a refreshing change of pace to be among others who understand that same pull toward creating pictures (or videos), and a good reminder that there are so many who can relate to what you enjoy doing. If you haven't ever attended a photography-specific expo, conference or event, I'd highly suggest doing so at least once, to remind yourself of the importance of community.

I captured this photo in the Shinjuku neighborhood of Tokyo, Japan, a couple of years ago while visiting used camera stores in the area. In addition to the used camera stores, however, Shinjuku lights up at night, becoming a bright, colorful playground for photographers. Photo: Dale Baskin

Our March Editor's photo challenge theme is "Night Lights."

This month, we want to see your most brilliant photos of artificial light sources that light up the night. There's a myriad of possibilities, ranging from city lights and fireworks to carnivals and neon signs. The creative possibilities are endless. Our favorites will be featured in an article on the DPReview homepage.

Photos can be submitted between Sunday, March 15, and Saturday, March 21 (GMT). The challenge is open to photos captured at any time.

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

Visit the challenge page to 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

Nikon Z8 | Viltrox AF 35mm F1.2 Lab | F5.6 | 1/800 sec | ISO 64 Photo: Mitchell Clark

Late last year, Viltrox announced that it was bringing its 35mm F1.2 Lab lens to Nikon's Z mount. Given that the company pitches its Lab lenses as including "flagship optical design," we're happy we got the opportunity to test one out in a variety of conditions.

Image quality

Nikon Z8 | Viltrox AF 35mm F1.2 Lab | F1.8 | 1/125 sec | ISO 64

Wide-open, we found that the 35mm F1.2 Lab has good levels of sharpness in the center, and does a decent job at maintaining that to the edges. It's not quite as sharp as the best F1.2 optics we've seen, but for the price, it's hard to complain about the performance of our copy. Vignetting is also around what we'd expect for an F1.2 lens, almost entirely clearing up around F4.

I find the lens' out-of-focus rendering to be quite pleasing, but at F1.2, the cat's eye effect on the specular highlights outside the center of the frame can be a bit lopsided and uneven in a way that can be distracting if your background only has a few bright lights in it (the effect is less noticable if the bokeh is made up of several light sources blending together). By F2 the bokeh is closer to circular, but past that it becomes a bit more geometric.

F1.2	F1.4	F2	F2.8	F4	F5.6

We found that the lens maintained contrast well, even when shooting with bright backlight, and that it resisted flare in all but the most intense conditions.

If you go looking for chromatic aberration, you'll definitely find some, but it's typically not distracting in all but the most challenging scenarios.

Usability

To start with the elephant on the camera, this is a large, heavy lens. However, that comes with the F1.2 territory, and it's not unduly so; it's actaully lighter than Nikon's own 35mm F1.2 S (though around 23% heavier than Sigma's second-gen 35mm F1.2). While it wouldn't be my first choice as a travel lens, I never felt particularly burdened by it as I carried it around Japan while I was there for CP+.

The Viltrox AF 35mm F1.2 Lab Z isn't big and heavy for a F1.2 lens, but it is still big and heavy. I also don't find the top display to be especially useful or aesthetically pleasing, but your mileage may vary on that. Photo: Becky O'Bryan

While we don't make it a point to test gear's weather sealing, I did end up shooting in light rain for an hour or two with this lens, and it didn't miss a beat, and has continued to work afterwards with no issues. I'm not saying that you'll definitely get the same results, or that this lens is capable of withstanding any weather, but it did at least hold up well when I got caught in a drizzle.

The control ring is a bit of a mixed bag. It's nice that it can be clicked or declicked, especially for controlling aperture, but the control is inconsistent. Sometimes I would turn the ring one click, and the aperture wouldn't change at all, and I'd have to turn it a few more clicks to get it to go up or down 1/3 of a stop. Sometimes, though, one click was enough. This inconsistency basically put me off using it entirely, though I'd be interested to see if it performs the same way on a Sony body.

It can take several clicks of the control ring to get the aperture to change at all.

The lens's autofocus motors are relatively quick and responsive, though it doesn't quite seem capable of immediately snapping from minimum focus to infinity like other lenses with linear motors we've tested. It's hard to say how much of this is on the camera, though. I also found that my Z8 was hunting for focus or slightly missing it more frequently than I'd expect, based on my experience using it with other first-party or officially licensed lenses.

While the lens was still very usable, this issue was prevalent enough that I checked to make sure there wasn't a firmware update available that might improve it; at the time of writing, there is not, though the company did just release one for the E-mount version of the lens.

Summary

Pictured: my friend ogling the Leica Noctilux M 35mm F1.2 Asph., a lens that costs around $8500 more than the Viltrox. While I'd certainly rather carry the Leica around, I'm not sure I actually liked the images it produced that much more (though the Lab's slightly odd bokeh is highlighted in this picture). Nikon Z8 | Viltrox 35mm F1.2 Lab | F1.2 | 1/30 sec | ISO 3200

While you can certainly find things to complain about with the images it produces, it's worth remembering that the Viltrox 35mm F1.2 Lab for Z mount costs $1000. That's substantially less than F1.2 lenses typically cost, especially the ones from first-party companies like Nikon. The Nikkor 35mm F1.2 S may have nicer bokeh, sure, but it also costs three times as much, so it had darn well better.

With that said, we'd typically urge anyone thinking about picking up this lens to at least consider how much benefit they really expect to get from the extra 1/2 or 1EV it provides compared to its F1.4 and F1.8 rivals. If you're willing to give up the extra speed, you can get a lens with fewer compromises, and that will be significantly smaller and lighter, a proposition that I personally find very tempting. Many will also be cheaper, too.

If you absolutely need F1.2, this is one of the most affordable ways to get it

However, if you absolutely need F1.2, this is one of the most affordable ways to get it (at least, if you want modern amenities like autofocusing, which, believe me, is very nice to have if you're shooting such a fast lens). And while I've gone over some of my complaints with it, it's still a very competent lens capable of producing great images. It does a lot of things reasonably well, especially given its price.

The final wrinkle is, of course, that Nikon is currently taking legal action against Viltrox, so the future of the company's lenses on Z mount is a bit up in the air at this point. That may be something worth keeping in mind if you're looking at spending what is still a fair chunk of change on this lens.

Photos: Harman Photo / Miles Marie

Harman Photo is keeping the ball rolling on new film, releasing a creative color film called Switch Azure. As the name suggests, the company's latest offering "switches" the colors for a more experimental look.

Switch Azure's color swap results in rendering blues as orange, bright yellows as azure and reds as hues of purple or blue. Harman says that greens are less affected, but even those will shift depending on the original hue. It promises to provide similar results to Lomography's Turquoise film. Sunsets effectively become inverted, skin tones are a bit alien-like and common objects become a bit strange. Those who like realistic, natural colors from their film won't be fans, but for creatives who like to play around with unexpected results, it's an interesting option.

Don't expect normal colors from this film. Photo: Vitor Lopes Leite / Harman Photo

Adding another layer of complexity is that Harman specifies that the type of scanner used will significantly affect the colors. An example image on the Switch Azure product page shows a scanned sunset photo: the Fuji scan renders a very blue image, while a Noritsu scan produces warmer colors.

Harman's new film is rated at ISO 125, and the company says the film is best used outside while metering for the mid-tones. It's available in 120 format and in a 35mm DX-coded cassette with 36 frames. The film can be processed with standard C41 processing.

Harman Switch Azure film is starting to trickle into stores, and you can use the Harman Photo website to find a location near you. Pricing varies by location, though most are around $13 for 35mm and $12 for 120.

Image: SilverBridges

Sometimes you just need some joy in your life, and, at least for me, watching other people experience joy can be a way to fulfill that need. A recent video of Jeff and Susan Bridges unboxing the first two models of their Widelux-X camera does just that, with Jeff absolutely giddy about what he's seeing. You'll have to head to the Widelux-X website to watch the video, as it is only hosted there, but it's worth a watch if you need some wholesome excitement.

For those unfamiliar, Jeff Bridges is a very big fan of the Widelux, a panoramic, panning-lens film camera that was originally developed in Japan in 1958. A factory fire and other factors ended production roughly 20 years ago, and they are now highly sought-after collector items. Bridges has said that most of the images he creates are with the Widelux, and he's taken some incredible behind-the-scenes shots on movie sets with it.

Image: SilverBridges

Bridges is such a fan of the camera that he decided to recreate it through his SilverBridges company. The team revealed a handmade working prototype in November of last year. Recently, two models were mailed to the Bridges in LA, and the pair unboxed them for a video that is hosted on the Widelux-X website.

It's very evident that Bridges is absolutely ecstatic about the camera, and the pair immediately took some portraits of each other and a selfie. It's fun to see how excited he is, and it's also neat to see additional shots of – and from – the camera. The team hasn't unveiled any new details, but it appears the project is at least moving forward, which is good to see, even if it will be well out of my budget.