The recent Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG II Art was released during a particularly gray Seattle February, but Richard had a UK trip lined up, and apparently doesn't know the difference between work and vacation.

Read about our experience with the Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG II Art

A friend was kind enough to shoot a short video as he fleshed out the gallery with some portraits from London, so join us for a quick stroll around London's Soho, to see one of the ways we collect sample images.

The Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG II Art made a pleasantly compact travel companion. Photo: Richard Butler

You can see our full gallery below and, as always, download the original Raws, to form your own conclusions.

Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG II Art sample gallery

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

Thank you to Panasonic for the loan of a Lumix DC-S1RII to capture this gallery. All images were processed using our standard lens workflow in Capture One, with the manufacturer's distortion correction applied but no correction of vignetting. There is extremely minor pincushion distortion before the correction is applied: we do not consider it to be an essential part of the lens design, if you prefer not to use it or your preferred software does not support lens corrections.

Image: Panasonic

Panasonic has announced the Lumix DC-ZS300, which will be known as the TZ300 outside North America. It's a pocketable compact with a 15x, 24-360mm equiv zoom lens in front of a Type 1 (13.2 x 8.8mm) BSI CMOS sensor. But, unlike its predecessor, there's no viewfinder if your travel takes you to sunnier climes.

For those who have memorized Panasonic's compact lineup, the specs set out in the company's press release will be very reminiscent of its ZS200 / TZ200, announced in February 2018. Other than the absent viewfinder, the other significant change is the adoption of the newer USB-C socket. The actual interface is likely to be the same as before as, like the previous model, the ZS300 can be charged, but not powered, over USB.

The ZS300 has a zoom covering an impressive 24-360mm equivalent range. Its maximum aperture drops from F3.3 at the wide end to F6.4 by its full reach. The Type 1 sensor means there's a 2.72x crop factor at play.

The ZS300's Macro mode can focus down as close as 3cm (1.2") at its widest focal length, but this increases to 100cm (39.4") at the long end of the lens. Based on what we've been shown and told, it's likely to retain the fixed 1840K dot (960 x 640 px) fixed rear screen from the mid-life ZS200D update, along with a small pop-up flash.

We wonder whether Panasonic has found it difficult to source the field-sequential viewfinder panels used in older models, but still think a travel zoom will be limited by the absence of any sort of viewfinder. Image: Panasonic

Focusing on the positives, though: the announcement of the ZS300 as a new model suggests you might actually be able to buy one. The deletion of the viewfinder means that, unlike the more EU-compliance updated G97 model, its price has only gone up by a relatively modest $100 in the eight years since the Micro-B USB version was launched.

We're still awaiting full specs and availability information, but we're told the ZS300 will be available in silver or black variants for $899, ex tax. It will be £869.00 in the UK.

Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS300 specifications

Left: Mitsuhiro Suzaki, Deputy General Manager of the Lens Technology and System business unit. Right: Yasufumi Machitani, General Manager of Sony's Camera Business Department Photo: Dale Baskin

"In terms of imaging quality, needless to say, the image sensor is one of the most important factors," says Yasufumi Machitani, General Manager of Sony's Camera Business Department, addressing where he thinks the next noticeable improvements to stills will come from.

"Sony Group has the Sony Semiconductor Solutions Group, which develops and produces image sensors," he says. "So the image sensor development group and the camera and lens group closely communicate. That means we can discuss future products: What kind of image sensor there should be, or what kind of signal processing we can do on the camera side. We can align the image sensor technology and the camera development together, which we think is a great advantage for us."

Advancements in image quality were just one of the topics we discussed with Sony executives during our interview with them at CP+ 2026, but it, and the company's desire for innovation, is something that came up a lot during our discussion.

"There is still solid demand"

Sony says vlogging cameras like the ZV-E10 II have been received well by the younger generations. Photo: Richard Butler

Discussing the state of the camera market, Machitani says he thinks the market will continue to grow. "If you look at the CIPA numbers, there was growth this year. I think there's still solid demand from customers, in terms of our core business of camera bodies and lenses." According to him, the growth comes from several places, citing conventional uses and also newer use cases, such as live streaming and 3D photogrammetry. "We think that creators are diverse and their demands are varied. But in general, [stills/video] hybrid usage is popular," he says.

While there have been concerns that the growth may be temporary, spurred by people switching from DSLR systems to mirrorless, Sony also talked a lot about the next generation of photographers: younger people who may be buying their first camera.

"In general, hybrid usage is popular"

"We see generational differences in how people shoot," he says. "Especially younger customers stepping up from smartphones, they often shoot both photos and video. They are a different type of customer from traditional enthusiasts. They start recording their life with smartphones, but they want more creative control, which is hard to get. So they switch to compact cameras or to the Alpha system for photography. And then they try to shoot video too."

Another interesting generational divide Sony sees has to do with colors and editing. Atsushi Ueda, General Manager of the Imaging Marketing Division's Marketing Communication Department, says more experienced photographers will value specs like a claimed 16 stops of dynamic range. "Advanced photographers tend to shoot Raw, while many younger photographers enjoy the real-time creativity using Creative Look for different color and tones. So, with our Alpha lineup, we can cover different types of customers," he says, referring to the customizable color modes that apply to your JPEGs and HEIFs.

The compact question

The last entry in Sony's RX100 series, the VII, came out in 2019. Photo: Dan Bracaglia

Machitani says that Sony has seen the compact camera market growing, and specifically cites the ZV series of vlogging cameras (which are a mix of interchangeable and fixed lens designs) as being particularly well-received by younger generations. "I think there are two aspects," he says. "Everyone is now getting used to taking photos with their smartphone. They start to become eager for better devices or tools to capture great image quality or express their feelings. So that's why a dedicated camera is necessary. And the second point is, at the same time, interchangeable mirrorless cameras are also getting bigger. Photo enthusiasts, or even professionals, need a more compact one to carry around every day, or for holidays and family time."

"Users of our competitors' mirrorless cameras also love this RX1 series"

In the case of Sony's latest compact, the RX1R III, he says the audience for it isn't just people who already own another Sony camera. "The people who buy an RX1R Mark III also tend to have a mirrorless camera. Not only a Sony camera, but users of our competitors' mirrorless cameras also love this RX1 series."

An RX1R III, cut in half at Sony's CP+ booth. Photo: Dale Baskin

While the RX1R III and the ZV-series cameras fill their own niches, Machitani says Sony hears customers who are asking for a new entry in the more all-rounder' RX100 series. "We understand the necessity and requests for the RX100 series," he says. When asked if Sony views its vlogging compacts as a good solution for photographers looking for a fixed lens camera, he adds: "I think ZV-series and RX series are different concepts, so they meet different needs." In other words, it seems the vlogging cameras aren't intended to be a replacement.

"This is a basic model, but we try to raise the standard"

Machitani cites the a7 V's "4-axis multi-angle monitor" as a feature requested by creators and hybrid shooters that also benefits purely stills photographers. Photo: Mitchell Clark

Despite the references to hybrid shooters and younger generations interested in video and color profiles, Sony made it clear that the innovations that benefit those users aren't wasted on people purely interested in photography.

"If you look at the a7 Mark V, which we recently just launched, this camera is also very good for traditional photographers," Machitani says. "We think creators and their demands are very diverse, and sometimes there are conflicts. But we try to understand their needs, and try to meet them in our future products or services, and deliver several solutions to meet their diverse demands."

When we asked if there were any specific features from the a7 V that were good for hybrid users and photographers, he gave us a few examples. "We renewed the image sensor and BIONZ XR2 processing unit. Although we say this is a 'basic model,' we try to raise the standard for the camera industry so that everyone can easily capture the decisive moment or the important scenes in their lives. So the BIONZ XR2 processor is now combined with AI processing unit functions from the latest Alpha-series cameras. So this is a basic camera, but the basic is great." He also cites blackout-free shooting and the combination tilting/swivel screen as features, and says the latter was requested by lots of creators.

Finding the balance

The idea of balancing the needs of different audiences came up again in our discussion of lenses with Mitsuhiro Suzaki, Deputy General Manager of the Lens Technology and System business unit. "We continue to expand the E-mount lens lineup in order to meet our diverse creators' needs," he says, citing the Sony FE 50-150mm F2 GM as an example of a new offering that's popular with both photographers and videographers.

"If we tried to make a 50-200mm F2, the size and weight would increase significantly"

As for how they decide what kind of lenses to make, Suzaki says they start by thinking about how they can create something that gives people new options. For the 50-150mm, they started with the concept of a fast zoom lens that was still compact, and experimented with a few different focal lengths, trying to find the right balance of weight, optical performance and balance. "Some people said 'we wish Sony made the 50-150 compatible with teleconvertors' or that they'd prefer a 50-200 F2. But if we tried to make a 50-200mm F2, the size and weight would increase significantly, and it would become a much more specialized lens," he says. "We believe this specification is the most reasonable and versatile choice for many creators."

When it comes to actually bringing a lens like that to market, Suzaki says it requires a lot of different disciplines. "We combine optical design, lens element technology, actuator technology, and mechanical engineering. Together, these technologies enable lenses with this level of performance." He also says it's not just a matter of selecting the right material to create lens elements, but also turning it into a precision surface that can be mass-produced. "This kind of development requires a long period of time and a great deal of trial and error."

On affordability, value and innovation

The a7 V has more all-around capability than its predecessor, but is also launching at $400 more than the a7 IV (which itself was $500 more than the a7 III). Photo: Mitchell Clark

As prices for enthusiast-tier cameras creep higher, especially in the US, we thought it would be interesting to ask how affordability factors into their product planning. Machitani mostly demurs, saying that the company will "determine product specifications by comprehensively considering overall product value and balance," but Ueda points out the company's strategy of keeping older generations of its products on sale at different prices, such as in the case of the a7 V ($2899), IV ($2199), and III ($1699).

"We need to do something unique, something different for our customers."

Ueda adds that people look to Sony for something else: "Basically, from the customer's point of view, their request to Sony is innovation. So we need to do something unique, something different for our customers. That's our purpose." It's an interesting response, as "innovative" and "affordable" are labels rarely shared by the same products.

This article is based on an interview by Dale Baskin and Mitchell Clark at CP+ 2026. It has been edited for clarity and flow.

83%

Overall score

Jump to conclusion

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 sells 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
• Image quality
• Autofocus
• In use
• Conclusion
• Sample gallery
• 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 imply that, unlike the Leica Q3 Monochrom, it has to do some degree of interpolation during processing, to hide any disparity from the output of those phase-detection pixels. We've not seen any negative impact from this in our tests, 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 Monochrome, 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 having such a big sensor and yet it manages to put a lot of control at your fingertips without seeming too cramped. 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, there were four iterations of GR Digital, which used a much smaller Type 1/1.7 sensor in a very similar body).

By default, the front and rear top-panel dials allow you to control exposure parameters, with the -/+ rocker acting as exposure compensation if you have any automatically-controlled settings (including Auto ISO in manual mode). In practice, this layout makes it easy to make changes one-handed, without having to adjust your grip too much. The multi-directional controller is also easy to reach, giving you either access to four customizable functions or direct AF point control.

The Adj. menu gives you one-handed control over your most important settings, without taking you out of the moment by forcing you to dive into a full-screen menu. You can choose up to five parameters and arrange them in the order of your preference.

This ethos goes beyond adjusting exposure, though. Click in on the rear dial, marked Adj., and it opens up a function menu which can be navigated using touch, the multi-directional controller, or the two command dials. You can use it to adjust settings such as autofocus mode, aspect ratio, flash settings, drive and self timer modes, etc. It has five banks that you can fill with the parameters that are most important to you, in the order you want them, giving you near-instant access to them without having to dive into the main menu.

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.

Despite its size, the GR IV's magnesium alloy body makes it feel very solid, without being overly weighty. And, unlike almost all other 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.

Image Quality

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

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.

Autofocus

You have several autofocus area settings, and can easily access them from the Adj. menu.

The GR IV Monochrome has essentially the same autofocus system as the color version. There are four single-focus modes: whole area, where the camera decides what to focus on, zone select, with a single, non-resizable zone, and then two single-point modes, one more precise than the other. It has two continuous modes, too: one with a mid-size selection point, and a tracking mode where the point attempts to stick to whatever you placed it over.

You can control where the focus point is by tapping on the screen or by using the multi-directional control; whether you first have to press a button to use the latter or not is up to you.

Face/eye detection works in the single-focus modes, and if you have it on and the camera recognizes a face in your frame, it will override your chosen focus point to select the face. (If there are multiple faces, it highlights them, and you can pick between them to choose which one to focus on.) You can then choose to move the focus point elsewhere in the scene if you want, but it can be jarring to have the focus point suddenly move without you asking it to, and it means you'll want to think about whether you want to leave it on all the time. There is, however, an option to only use face/eye detection in the auto-area AF mode. Regardless of your settings, face/eye detection isn't available in the tracking or continuous AF modes.

The tracking autofocus mode only gives you a single selection option, which turns green when it's locked onto a subject, or red if it fails to start tracking (something that wasn't rare in our tests).

The GR IV Monochrome's autofocus system isn't particularly flexible, as there's no customization for how large your zones are, and you can't use continuous tracking with a variety of selection point sizes. However, the camera has particularly powerful manual focusing tools; the magnification assist is quite clear, and it's one of the few compacts that will retain the same focus distance even if you turn it off.

There's also the Snap Focus feature, which is highly touted by some of the GR faithful. When using it, the camera will focus to a pre-chosen distance as soon as you press the shutter. While some people may use the camera exclusively in this mode, gaining a sense for how far away things are and keeping their camera at a preset shooting distance, it can also be used with autofocus: you can configure the camera to autofocus if you half-press the shutter, but to snap to a certain distance if you immediately fully press the shutter. This can be a lightning-quick way to shoot, once you're used to it.

Autofocus performance

In single focus modes, the GR IV Monochrome is generally quick and accurate, though it occasionally misses the mark by a touch or has to hunt for a second or two, especially (but not exclusively) in dark or low-contrast conditions.

Its continuous autofocus mode is less confidence-inspiring, hunting relatively frequently and sometimes failing to figure out the correct focus. The tracking autofocus is also off-the-pace compared to its contemporaries. In good conditions, it can do a good job of sticking to your selected subject, but it will frequently wander away from the subject or fail to keep up with it if it's moving. Generally, it's not particularly easy to trust, which makes us hesitant to use it.

Compared to the standard GR IV, the GR IV Monochrome's autofocus appears to perform quite similarly. While it's nice that it's able to reach the same bar – you aren't giving anything up by going black and white – it certainly isn't the highest performer. Some of that may be down to the fact that it has a unit focus lens, which trades responsiveness for edge-to-edge sharpness in a compact form. It's also, arguably, less essential for a camera designed for street photography with a fixed wide-angle lens to have cutting-edge autofocus tracking, but fans of the track-and-recompose method will likely find themselves having to get used to this camera's limitations if they're coming from another system.

In use

By Mitchell Clark

I'll try to avoid reiterating everything I said in the standard GR IV's "In use" section (though it all still applies), but one thing bears repeating: the control scheme is really enjoyable to use. Having direct control of all your exposure parameters via the two top-plate command dials and the + / - rocker switch, and the ability to quickly access and change the settings that are most important to you with the Adj. menu makes the GR IV Monochrome one of the easiest cameras to use one-handed that I've ever encountered.

Given that this is a camera that's designed to focus on the absolute essentials of photography, I also think it makes sense to praise the little touches that Ricoh adds to the GR series. Things like it telling you how many photos you've taken today and overall, when you turn it off, and the absolutely obscene level of customization you can do. Want to use the shutter button as a "confirm and close this menu" button? There's a setting for that. Picky about which dial does what? You can set them to almost any configuration. Don't like the default level UI (despite it being very good)? There are literally two other options that look completely different.

You can gain access to up to five settings in the Adj menu, or strip it down to the few parameters you care about the most.

None of this is specific to the Monochrome in particular, but when you're considering paying a premium for a photography-first experience with a focused device, these are the kind of small things that make a difference. It's not just a do-it-all mirrorless crammed into a small, fixed-lens body.

In lieu of the standard GR IV's built-in ND filter, the Monochrome's new electronic shutter mode allows for shooting in bright sunlight. However, its moderate rolling shutter rate means you might get some distortion on fast-moving subjects, or banding under artificial lighting (not that there are too many shooting scenarios where you'll need to shoot over 1/4000 sec without the aid of the sun).

The Monochrome's new electronic shutter mode allows for shooting in bright sunlight

The good news is that using it isn't a matter of selecting mechanical shutter or e-shutter mode; with it enabled, the camera will use the mechanical shutter up to its max speed, and the e-shutter if it still needs to tamp down on exposure. The red filter can also be used to cut down on some light hitting the sensor, but it can dramatically change the look of your image depending on the color of the subject you're shooting.

When I reviewed the GR IV, I thought its rear display was fine, but nothing to write home about. However, when trying to compose a black and white image, I found it that bit more difficult to work with at off-axis angles. It doesn't lose much brightness when you're not viewing it straight-on, but the lack of color means there are fewer hints about where the edges of your frame are, and distractions are harder to catch in the moment if they're shades of dark gray near the black bezels of the display.

Conclusion

By Mitchell Clark

I often find myself saying "not everything is for everyone," but it's rarely as applicable as it is in the case of the GR IV Monochrome. It's an extremely niche proposition because of how focused it is: when you're shooting with it, you have to see the world at 28mm, and in black and white: the camera doesn't allow you to capture it any other way.

Many (most?) won't see the appeal in a camera so inflexible, but the GR IV Monochrome makes a strong argument for why you should want to. Its image quality is the best you'll find in a camera this small (though there's the obvious caveat that its color performance is very poor), and the controls, customizability and UI all do a great job of getting out of your way and letting you get into the groove. And it's worth saying outright: if this is a style of shooting you enjoy, there's essentially nothing else out there that provides the exact same experience.

However, there are still parts of that experience that could use some improvement. We wish the JPEGs got the absolute most out of the detail available in the Raws (though it still captures more than most color cameras of a similar resolution), and that the autofocus was at least closer to comparable with what we expect from modern systems. And while the black and white being a hardware decision rather than a software one forces a discipline you can't get from a standard GR IV set to a monochrome profile, the premium Ricoh is charging means you'll have to really consider how much you personally value that.

If the answer is "a lot," the GR IV Monochrome is easy to recommend, because it mostly does what it does really well. However, the autofocus performance and inaccessibility to the achromatic-curious make it hard to give it our highest award. But if you're truly devoted to the style of photography this camera provides, consider it a gold, captured in monochrome.

Scoring

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

Compared to its peers

There are very few cameras that truly compare to the GR IV Monochrome. There is, of course, the standard GR IV, which is essentially identical except for the fact that it shoots color. It's a fundamental difference, and has some impact on IQ – the color filter array eats up around 2/3EV – but depending on your disposition using that camera in a black and white color mode may get you close to having the same experience (while giving you a bit of room to fall back if you shoot something that needs color, or if you overexpose a touch).

The Leica Q3 Monochrom comes the closest to being a like-for-like comparison with its truly monochrome sensor and 28mm lens. However, while its full-frame sensor, tilting screen, and EVF might thrill some people who wish the GR series included such features, they also make the Q3 a much bigger and heavier option; it's almost three times as heavy as the GR IV, and you couldn't fit it into most pockets. And if you thought the GR IV Monochrome was hard to bear, bad news: the Monochrom's price tag has over three times the heft, too.

Sample Gallery

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

The first shop you encounter at the entrance of the camera shop mall. From the street entrance, you might assume this was it, until you turned around and saw the escalator up to another floor. iPhone 17 Pro Max | F1.8 | 1/129 sec | ISO 64 Photo: Mathew Anderson

Cameras and our photography give us a way to share a timeless window into someone else's world.

This is why I take every opportunity I can get to travel around the world, bring my camera(s) with me, and find someone or something that deserves that timeless capture. In that spirit, this week I visited family in China and brought my new iPhone 17 Pro Max and a very capable OM-1 Mark II with a versatile 12-100mm lens. I have been to China several times over the years, and I would like to share with you some of those experiences through my photography.

As DPReview is all about digital photography, it made sense to hunt down some actual camera stores. I arrived in Hong Kong, the perfect place to find one, and began my search in a dense and bustling central shopping district called Mong Kok.

Just outside the camera store mall, as you look toward the first visible intersection. iPhone 17 Pro Max | F1.8 | 1/1812 sec | ISO 100 Photo: Mathew Anderson

Another general view of the area outside the camera store mall. The mall entrance is kitty corner across the street. iPhone 17 Pro Max | F1.8 | 1/1812 sec | ISO 100 Photo: Mathew Anderson

The closest analogy we have in the United States is in select parts of downtown New York and, to a lesser extent, in Chicago, complete with labyrinthine subway networks (though they're much cleaner and more modern in most Asian cities, from my experience). Take a stroll around SoHo in New York, increase the density further by 2-3x or so in storefronts, rearrange it a bit haphazardly with crowded alleyways of street vendors and random staircases leading to unknown places, and you have what I am about to show you today.

"Hidden among the storefronts shown above is one of the largest camera 'malls' in all of China."

This arrangement is at its peak in Hong Kong's central business districts. Hidden among the storefronts shown above is one of the largest camera 'malls' in all of China. I was actually fooled by the first store I came across on the main level. I walked up, and admit, I was a bit disappointed, saying to myself, "This is it? My community is not going to be very impressed." I then heard a baby cry behind me. I turned my head, and there was a non-assuming escalator up to what felt like some sort of attic storage space.

It was no attic storage space.

An escalator leading up to the second floor of the camera store mall. You can see some of the shops to the right. iPhone 17 Pro Max | F1.8 | 1/100 sec | ISO 250 Photo: Mathew Anderson

What's interesting about China (and many eastern Asian cities) is that stores aren't spread out and megalithic like your typical United States suburban Walmart or Target. Parking spaces are at a premium, if they exist at all, and storefronts are often obscured by other storefronts. You may even need to go through someone else's store to get to an entirely separate small shop in the back. It's not at all clear where you entered from, and more often than not, it's an obscure exit somewhere else that you leave from.

Since space is at a premium, shops must compete for attention and ease of access on every single level. What you see in the photos below was replicated across multiple interconnected coordinators on five different levels (possibly more, as I didn't have time to explore it all, and of course, the path up to the next level is somewhere else entirely).

The camera store mall had a labyrinthine, hall-like nature. Here is one such hallway with a shop sign indicating an entrance to the left. iPhone 17 Pro Max | F1.8 | 1/555 sec | ISO 100 Photo: Mathew Anderson

One of the more interesting hallway displays to promote the associated camera store. iPhone 17 Pro Max | F1.8 | 1/100 sec | ISO 64 Photo: Mathew Anderson

Nearly every modern camera brand, and then some, were present, with the notable exception of OM System in the shops I had time to visit. I walked into the next shop and asked the clerk if they had any OM-1's around. He looked up, his eyes widening for a brief moment as he realized I wasn't his typical customer, and asked me in quite fluent English, "Would you care for a Leica or Kodak?", as he had no OMs. I got him to eventually point me down a corridor that led to more shops (and more corridors), but still no OM cameras in sight. Even so, I unfortunately didn’t have time to explore everything, as the mall was vaste.

"Especially in places like this camera mall, they will bargain down to the bottom of the barrel if it means your business."

Business competition is fierce in China. There are many boba tea shops, hair stylists, and taxi drivers (I paid just $0.53 USD for a 10-minute trip across town in a mainland city a few days after this trip to Hong Kong). They don't want to send you to the next shop that sells nearly the same equipment as their own. Especially in places like this camera mall, they will bargain down to the bottom of the barrel if it means your business.

A camera store in the mall. iPhone 17 Pro Max | F1.8 | 1/235 sec | ISO 80 Photo: Mathew Anderson

A camera store in the mall. iPhone 17 Pro Max | F1.8 | 1/100 sec | ISO 125 Photo: Mathew Anderson

A camera store in the mall. iPhone 17 Pro Max | F1.8 | 1/121 sec | ISO 64 Photo: Mathew Anderson

I nearly ended up buying a Fujifilm X100VI, which was surprisingly at several shops. Not only is it a compact camera, perfect for my immediate needs, but it's simply gorgeous. (The OM-1 Mark II and 12-100mm lens is an amazing camera, but it's somewhat bulky for my fast-and-furious travels). I love how Fujifilm has built a sleek, metallic retro design and would love to own one just for the sake of it. I'm in the area for the next few days, so I suppose there's still time to change my mind...

I hope you enjoyed this brief glimpse into the Chinese camera store scene, and would love to know what you think of the experience in the comments below.

CP+ 2026 is in the rearview, but there are still aspects of the crew's experience there to talk about. Mitchell and Abby discuss their first time getting to experience some aspects of the photo culture at the show and in Japan, and go deeper on what it was like to shop at one of the biggest camera stores out there. Plus, Abby reveals whether she eventually went back and got the other film camera she had her eye on. (Spoiler: not exactly, but... well, you'll see.)

We're still hard at work on writing up the interviews we carried out with manufacturers at the show, so keep an eye out for those over the coming weeks. If you want to catch up on the rest of our show coverage, check out our show page.

Modern cameras are complex and they all benefit from some degree of setup and customization. We've already taken a look at some of the basic things you might want to do immediately, but here we're going to dig a little deeper and describe the settings we always change when we use Sony cameras.

Sony changed the menu system on most of its cameras starting with the a7S III in 2020. All our screengrabs represent the newer menu layout but we've also described where the comparable options live in the old menu structure if you're using a camera with the tabs arranged along the top of the menu screen, rather than down the left-hand side.

Engaging AF-C

Sony cameras are set to AF-A mode, when you first start them up. This is a mode that automatically switches between single AF acquisition and continuous attempts to refocus, if it detects subject motion. Which sounds clever but prevents you from using one of your camera's best features: its autofocus tracking.

Focus Mode is found at the beginning of the AF/MF section of the menu and often in the Fn Menu. Once you've selected AF-C, you'll find that, at the bottom of the list of AF area types and shapes, you now have one with an arrow pointing to a button, at the lower right of the icon. This is a subject tracking version of the AF area represented, and you'll find that you have a tracking version of each of the camera's AF areas. Now, when you half-press the shutter or press AF-On to initiate focus, the camera will continue to follow and focus on the subject under the AF target, even if it moves or you move the camera.

AF-C generally works very well on Sony cameras, so it'll be rare that you have to switch to AF-S. The tracking is useful both for following moving subject and for letting you choose a subject to focus on before recomposing your shot.

Limiting the number of AF areas

Sony's approach to tracking is to add a separate, 'tracking' version of each of the camera's AF area modes, meaning your choice of AF areas typically jumps from 12 to 24, as soon as you engage AF-C: tracking and non-tracking versions of each.

Sony cameras with the newer menu system have an option to let you limit which AF areas you can access, so that you don't have to scroll through lots, each time you want to switch. We'd suggest using the camera for a bit, getting a feel for which AF area sizes and shapes work for you and your shooting, then limiting the camera to only show the ones you use, it makes everything cleaner and quicker to use.

You can find this in the AF/MF tab, in an option called "Focus Area Limit."

Electronic first curtain shutter

By default, most Sony cameras use an electronic first curtain shutter, turning the sensor on one row at a time, to initiate the exposure, then using a mechanical shutter to end it. Some models, such as the a7C series, don't have a set of mechanical shutter blades for starting exposures, so always use this mode.

This is generally a sensible approach, and helps make the camera a little more responsive. However, if you shoot very short exposures when using a lens set to a very wide aperture, it can cause the out-of-focus highlights to become chopped off. If you find yourself shooting wide-aperture photos outdoors, it's worth knowing how to engage the mechanical first curtain, if you camera has one. This can be found in the Shutter/Silent section of the camera menu on newer models or the Camera Settings 2 tab on older ones.

Setting the Auto ISO Minimum Shutter speed

Auto ISO can be a very useful way of shooting, but key to getting the most out of it, particularly in P or A exposure modes, is telling the camera what the slowest shutter speed you can tolerate is, so that it doesn't bump up the ISO sooner than it needs to.

ISO AUTO Min. SS can be found either in the Exposure tab on newer cameras or the Camera Settings 1 section of older ones. If you frequently use auto ISO, we recommend assigning the setting to a button or putting it in the FN menu for easy access.

You have two options: you can either select a specific shutter speed, which can be useful if you're trying to maintain a fast enough shutter speed to prevent your subject's movement being blurred. Or you can set an 'Auto' value, which sets a shutter speed limit based on your focal length. This is the best choice if your primary concern is camera shake, but remember to reset it afterwards to avoid unnecessarily limiting your camera's exposure speed.

The 'Std' setting will increase the ISO to maintain a shutter speed of 1/equivalent focal length (ie: 1/50 seconds if you're using a 50mm equiv lens). For steady shooters, there are Slow and Slower options, which will reduce the shutter speed by one or two stops compared to the standard setting. The Fast and Faster options will raise ISO to maintain a shutter speed that's one or two stops faster than standard, which we typically wouldn't recommend, as the camera may end up choosing exposures that are too fast with telephoto lenses, or too slow with wide ones.

Turning on Raw shooting

We'd generally recommend shooting Raw, because it gives you more editing flexibility later, if you want it. Sony is the only major brand that doesn't let you process its Raw files in the camera, so we'd suggest shooting Raw + JPEG. This can be set using the File Format setting: in the Camera tab on new cameras and Camera Settings 1 on older models.

Once this is set, there's a separate menu setting [RAW File Type] directly below File Format to choose what type of Raw file your camera shoots.

On older models, you'll typically have the following choices:

• Uncompressed
• Compressed

The Compressed option is much smaller, but uses a lossy compression system. The limitations of this system only become apparent at high-contrast edges if you make quite significant tonal adjustments. For most types of shooting, this won't particularly matter, but it's worth being aware of: if your photography involves really exploiting the camera's full dynamic range, you may wish to consider using the Uncompressed mode for shots you expect to have to process heavily.

Newer models have a Lossless compression option, which we'd recommend. These files aren't quite as small as the Compressed ones, but you won't encounter any nasty surprises, even if you push your files extensively. The only benefit to the Compressed mode is that your camera may be able to shoot faster bursts in this mode.

The very newest models have a different set of options:

• Lossless
• Compressed HQ
• Compressed

We've not had time to test the new compression modes yet. As before, the Compressed option lets you shoot longer bursts, while the HQ version maintains greater quality. These two new compression options aren't widely supported by Raw conversion software yet, so we'd recommend using Lossless compression for now.

It's also worth noting that, while you can shoot Raw files alongside the newer HEIF format, if you want something with 10-bit color and more efficient than JPEG, you can't capture high dynamic range HEIFs and Raws simultaneously. The much more widespread support for JPEG means we'd stick with this.

Selecting which settings carry over from stills to video

Newer Sony cameras let you specify which settings carry over from stills to video shooting and which are configured independently. If you're using your camera to shoot both stills and video in the same sessions, we'd strongly consider adjusting these to make sure you don't accidentally shoot a load of stills at 1/50 sec shutter speeds or find yourself trying to color-correct clips in which Auto White Balance was constantly adjusting.

The option "Different Set for Still/Mv" can be found in the Setup / Operation Customize section of cameras with the newer, left-tabbed menus.

Customizing the camera to your needs

Sony is good at allowing lots of buttons to be customized and typically allows most of its menu options to be assigned to most buttons, rather than giving you a restricted option.

Older cameras let you customize the buttons using a menu option called "Custom Key" in the Camera Settings 2 section of the menu. You can set different settings for stills shooting, movie shooting and playback modes. In the new menu system, there are separate "Custom Key/Dial Set." menu items for stills, movie and playback modes. These live in the Setup / Operation Customize section.

The latest Sony cameras let you define different Fn menu layouts for stills and video shooting.

The Fn menu of the camera can be completely customized, with your choice of 12 functions that you use most often.

On older models this option [Function Menu Set.] can be found towards the end of the Camera Settings 2 section.

Newer cameras with the left-tabbed menus place it in Setup / Operation Customize. On these models it's called Fn Menu Settings and has the stills and movie icons next to it. On these cameras you can select define different Fn menus for stills and video shooting.

Sony a7R V | Tamron 35-100m F2.8 | 35mm | F8 | 1/100 sec | ISO 100 Photo: Mitchell Clark

Last month, Tamron announced the 35-100mm F2.8 Di III VXD, a full-frame zoom lens that focused on offering a fair amount of reach and a fast aperture while still being compact and lightweight. We've had the chance to shoot with it a bit to get a feel for what it's like to use and how it performs.

The first thing that stands out about this lens is the weight. If you're used to shooting with a 24-70mm F2.8, this lens is noticeably smaller and lighter than most full-frame options. That's not to say that the focal length ranges are particularly comparable – they're not, especially on the wide end – but it's a good frame of reference.

The lens is quite small and light, which would make it a good pairing for some of the more compact full-frame bodies. It also includes a customizable mode switch and function button.

Despite the light weight, the lens feels solidly built. To my hands, the materials and design of the zoom and focus rings actually feel a touch nicer than other recent Tamron lenses that I've tried. While most wouldn't consider a $900 to be cheap by any stretch, it feels more premium than its price tag might suggest.

Paired with an a7R V, the autofocus was very snappy, and it never felt like the lens was holding back the camera.

The lens extends a bit when zooming in, but not enough to throw off the balance or meaningfully change the center of gravity.

While this isn't a full review of its optical quality, I was pleased with how sharp the samples I got with this lens were, even when I was shooting wide-open. As we've seen with many recent F2.8 zooms, especially ones that focus on size, it has a fair amount of vignetting at F2.8 and even still some at F4, but it largely clears up by F5.6. I also find the out-of-focus rendering to be perfectly fine; it's not distracting, and the falloff is pleasant enough, though if you inspect the specular highlights in the bokeh, there is some cats-eye effect.

Toward the edges of the frame, you'll start to see some cat's-eye bokeh. (Note that the lights on the left edge of the frame aren't being distorted by the glass cups.) Sony a7R V | Tamron 35-100mm F2.8 | 100mm | F2.8 | 1/100 sec | ISO 500

In the past few years, we've seen companies playing focal length ranges, such as Sony's 20-70mm F4 and 24-50mm F2.8, so it's interesting to see someone experimenting in the other direction. However, we suspect many people who learned photography after the era of the 35-70mm might feel restricted by a lens that only barely dips its toe into the wide-angle range, especially if they were trying to use it as an all-around standard zoom.

However, I found I really enjoyed working with this zoom range, especially given the size and weight of the lens. I could easily see being happy with just it and a wide (or maybe even ultrawide) prime, though your mileage may definitely vary, especially if you're someone who often finds themselves wishing they could go wider than 24mm, rather than someone like me who often wishes they could reach past 70mm. In that respect, I prefer this to Tamron's own 28-75mm F2.8, as it feels like I get more for giving up something on the wide end (though obviously it's a greater sacrifice).

For most people, though, this lens might make more sense as a complement to, rather than a replacement for, a standard zoom, especially if their standard zoom is a variable-aperture kit option. It offers F2.8 and some of the most popular portrait focal lengths with more flexibility than a prime, and without the need to carry around a giant piece of glass like a 70-200mm.

Sample gallery

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

Thank you to LensRentals for loaning us a Sony a7R V to shoot this lens gallery, and to Tamron for loaning us the lens. All images were processed using our standard lens workflow in Capture One, with the manufacturer's distortion correction applied but no vignetting correction. Before correction, the images have some minor pincushion distortion, but we wouldn't consider the profile to be an essential part of the lens design if you prefer not to use it, or your preferred software does not support lens corrections.

A Playfight with two Asian Elephants Canon EOS 400D w/ EF70-200mm f/2.8L USM @ 200mm | F2.8 | 1/400 sec | ISO 400 Photo: Jagdeep Rajput

DPReview community member Jagdeep Rajput, known as J Rajput in the wider community, is our latest spotlight in this series about what's in your camera bag. This series explores the gear our community members bring along on their photography journeys and shares the stories behind how that equipment helps them capture memorable moments.

Culminating from more than three decades of wildlife photography, below is Jagdeep's amazing story and photos, along with the gear used to capture them.

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

Meet Jagdeep Rajput (J Rajput)

Fujifilm X-T4 w/ XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR @ 100mm | F8 | 1/340 sec | ISO 320 Photo: Jagdeep Rajput

Home base: Delhi, India

Favorite camera and lens: Canon EOS R5 II paired with the EF 500mm F4 IS II – a powerful combination Jagdeep relies on for capturing distant wildlife and dramatic animal behavior in the field.

Typical photo scenes: Wildlife photography, especially large mammals and wetland birds in national parks and open natural habitats.

"I started photographing in the early 1980s, and over the years it has grown into a lifelong passion for observing and documenting wildlife."

Jagdeep is a wildlife photographer who enjoys working with small groups of like-minded friends. Most of his photography takes place in India’s national parks, where he spends a lot of time sitting still, patiently watching and waiting for the right behavior or interaction with animals to unfold.

Fight during courtship season Canon EOS R5 w/ EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4x III | 700mm | F5.6 | 1/1250 sec | ISO 1250 Photo: Jagdeep Rajput

What's in Jagdeep's bag

• Primary cameras: Two Canon EOS R5 II bodies
• Lenses: RF 24–105mm F4 for versatility, RF 70–200mm F2.8 VCM for action and medium telephoto work, and a 100–400mm F5.6 for additional reach. For distant wildlife, Jagdeep relies on the EF 500mm F4 IS II, often paired with 1.4x and 2x teleconverters.
• Support and accessories: A beanbag is an essential part of his kit, especially when shooting from vehicles in wildlife reserves. He also carries a close-focusing tube to allow tighter framing when subjects approach closer than expected.
• Camera bags: Jagdeep prefers backpack-style camera bags, typically from Lowepro, Tamrac or Think Tank. For bird sanctuaries and longer walks, he uses a larger Tamrac backpack along with a tripod and gimbal head to support long lenses. When photographing from a vehicle, he relies on a beanbag for stability.
• Other Essentials: A sun hat is always packed for field protection, and gloves come along during the cooler winter months.

Photo: Jagdeep Rajput

What other gear makes a difference?

"I like to keep my setup fairly simple in the field, but a few accessories are always important. A beanbag is something I rely on often, especially when photographing wildlife from a vehicle, as it provides quick and stable support for long lenses. I also carry a close-focusing tube, which allows me to get tighter shots when an animal or bird comes closer than expected.

Other than that, I usually pack a sun hat to deal with the intense sunlight during long hours, and gloves during the winter months when mornings in the field can be quite cold."

Mock Charge of an Asian Elephant Canon EOS 5D Mark IV w/EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM @ 117mm | F5 | 1/400 sec | ISO 500 Photo: Jagdeep Rajput

What has been one of your most amazing moments out in the field?

While India remains his primary shooting ground, Jagdeep also travels to Africa, photographing wildlife in places like the Masai Mara, Amboseli and Tsavo. One of his most memorable moments occurred at Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur.

"Once, I went to Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, India, to photograph a nesting Sarus Crane. A Bluebull happened to venture close to Sarus's nest, the crane opened its huge wings and attacked the bull from behind. Since I liked to shoot animal behaviour, I pressed my continuous shutter, and the image I captured was unbelievable; it was 'Pegasus'."

A Territorial Call of Indian Sarus Crane Canon EOS 5D Mark III w/ EF500mm f/4L IS USM| 500mm | F5.6 | 1/640 sec | ISO 160 Photo: Jagdeep Rajput

Jagdeep's advice for other photographers

"Good subjects are hard to find. If you come across one, don't give up easily. Go for a couple of exceptional frames rather than hundreds of good frames."

Discuss with Jagdeep 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?'

Toshiyuki Tsumura, Executive Vice President and Director of Panasonic Imaging Solution Business Division. Photo: Abby Ferguson

Consumers' priorities have changed significantly in recent years, a Panasonic executive told us at this year’s CP+ show in Yokohama, Japan. Meeting those new priorities is part of the challenge, and Panasonic sees new energy not exclusively in full-frame flagships, but also in the small, portable cameras that smartphones never fully replaced.

At CP+ in Yokohama, Japan, we sat down with Toshiyuki Tsumura, Executive Vice President and Director of Panasonic's Imaging Solution Business Division, Takayuki Takabayashi from the Imaging Solution Business Division and Takashi Yamahara, head of the Global Marketing Division and Master of Project Design at Panasonic. In a wide‑ranging conversation, the team shared their candid thoughts on where the camera market is headed, how Lumix plans to serve a new generation of creatives and the role of AI in imaging.

The changing camera market and why compact cameras are booming again

Panasonic's LX100 II was a well‑liked enthusiast compact, but it dates back to 2018. Photo: Jeff Keller

"In general, the camera market is growing," says Tsumura. "For several years after COVID, the camera market shrank, but since then, it has been growing gradually every year. Last year it was up seven percent compared to the previous year." That's certainly good news for photographers, as a healthy camera industry means more support moving forward.

However, Tsumura is quick to point out that it's not the same market that peaked a decade ago, and consumers now have different priorities. "Previously, the driving force was high-end full-frame cameras. But recently, the value-zone cameras are driving the market, such as entry-level mirrorless cameras or compact cameras," Tsumura explains.

"The trend is shifting toward compact cameras," Tsumura goes on to say. "The reason is that a lot of people enjoy making and sharing photos and videos, and they want better image quality as much as possible. Many people feel that smartphones cannot fully satisfy their desire for good image quality."

"The trend is shifting toward compact cameras."

In Tsumura's view, compact cameras offer three distinct advantages over phones: better low-light performance, longer (and higher-quality) zoom, and options like genuine waterproofing. He points out that younger generations see images and videos constantly, and their analysis of those users found that they can distinguish the quality difference between smartphone images and those made with dedicated cameras.

For Panasonic, that shift could create a new kind of opportunity. Whether that means we should expect a new Lumix compact camera remains to be seen, but it is clear that Panasonic recognizes the shift in priorities and isn't ignoring it.

The future of Micro Four Thirds

The GH7 was Panasonic's last truly new Micro Four Thirds camera, though it was closer in size to full-frame hybrid cameras, rather than leaning into the compactness of the format. Photo Dale Baskin

Given the interest in smaller camera systems, we also asked the Panasonic team about Micro Four Thirds cameras. "Every year, we strengthen the Micro Four Thirds lineup, and we would like to continue this kind of development," Tsumura says.

The reason comes back to the same shift that's reshaping the broader market. Micro Four Thirds' core strengths are still compactness and low weight, and when you factor in lenses, the overall package can be significantly smaller than an equivalent full‑frame kit. That matters for the entry‑level and step‑up users Panasonic is increasingly targeting. "That's what entry users are requiring right now – portability and compactness so they can bring the camera everywhere," Tsumura explains. "So we are studying what kind of value we can propose to those users now and in the future with Micro Four Thirds."

"In the past, the 'battlefield' of cameras was resolution and sensor size. Now it's a little bit different"

At the same time, the company's expectations for the system have evolved. "In the past, the 'battlefield' of cameras was resolution and sensor size. Now it's a little bit different," Tsumura says. Panasonic now sees new customers who are more focused on the experience of using a camera and how it fits a specific purpose.

There's still room for more pro‑oriented full‑frame body

The S1H is the only S-series camera that hasn't seen an update. Photo: Dan Bracaglia

On the other end of the spectrum, the S1II is one of the most capable hybrid mirrorless cameras for video, but Panasonic thinks there's room to take it even further. While the original S1H remains the only first‑generation S‑series body without a direct successor, Tsumura avoids promising an exact S1H II. Instead, he frames the project more broadly: "Video production for the 'prosumers' is getting more and more important," Tsumura explains. "We are now investigating what kind of professional features we need to incorporate into new professional-type video cameras."

For what's next, the team is studying real applications, usage patterns and system requirements for higher‑end production, rather than just stacking on specs. As Tsumura puts it, they are looking beyond the current S1 II, "which already incorporates a lot of good video features, we are studying what we need to improve and what we need to add. That's what we're working on now," he says.

AI and computational imaging as core pillars

Computational photography has been a focus for Panasonic for some time, and AI is now an additional area of consideration. Inside Panasonic, AI isn't treated as a side project but as a central pillar of future camera development. "We put a high priority on computational imaging," Tsumura says. "This is very important for us. In order to evolve this area, we utilize AI technology."

"We can't say which companies, but we are talking with many partners and getting advanced technologies from them."

Panasonic isn't tackling AI integration alone, though. "To incorporate concrete AI technologies, we are now contacting lots of AI technology partner companies," Tsumura tells us. "We can't say which companies, but we are talking with many partners and getting advanced technologies from them. We then select and incorporate these technologies into specific features."

Twenty‑five years of Lumix

Finally, this year marks the 25th anniversary of Lumix, though internally, it seems Panasonic frames the milestone less as a victory lap and more as an obligation. "We were almost the last player to enter this camera market, so we feel we have a duty to continue this journey because of the customers who have supported us," says Yamahara. "The 25th anniversary is a kind of milestone, but we also need to continue beyond it."

In a nod to the anniversary, we ask Tsumura which single product he sees as the most important in Lumix history. Without any hesitation, he responds: "the G1, one of the first mirrorless cameras. That product created the mirrorless market and changed camera culture."

This article is based on an interview by Dale Baskin and Abby Ferguson at CP+ 2026. It has been edited for clarity and flow.

Some of the Camera Intelligence team, all holding Cairas. Left: Vik Kumar, COO. Middle: Vishal Kumar, CEO. Right: Liam Donovan, CTO. Photo: Mitchell Clark

"I think a lot of people mistake our product as a gadget," says Vishal Kumar, CEO of Camera Intelligence, the company behind the Caira, a Micro Four Thirds camera that attaches to the back of an iPhone. "That's the wrong way to think about it," he says. "We're building the full technology stack, we believe, for the future of cameras."

While the company is currently wrapping up its Kickstarter campaign for the Caira, it has much bigger ambitions than selling an accessory that makes your phone a better camera, or even than selling dedicated cameras. Ultimately, it says, it's trying to change how cameras are made, and trying to convince the established camera companies that its tech is the way to photography's next step forward.

What is Caira?

The Caira has a Micro Four Thirds mount and an 11MP sensor. It doesn't work standalone – it requires an iPhone and has a corresponding app. Product photos: Mitchell Clark

While Camera Intelligence's ambitions clearly go beyond its first product, it's worth looking at where they're taking root. If you didn't catch the announcement in October, the Caira mounts to the back of an iPhone using MagSafe and connects to it via Wi-Fi. From there, you get your image preview and can control it using an on-screen interface or via voice.

Its big trick, though, is that it's not just a lens mount and an 11MP Four Thirds quad-Bayer sensor from Sony Semiconductor (think Panasonic GH5S). It also has a Snapdragon processor, which it uses to power its AI autofocus and to make decisions about white balance and exposure. It also handles the processing for the camera's computational multi-shot modes.

"At the moment, it's mainly designed for denoising," says Liam Donovan, Camera Intelligence's CTO. "It's optimized for reducing noise in low light and giving you more dynamic range." He explains that the algorithm, which the company is still working on but is shipping on production cameras, takes up to 17 shots: eight before you press the shutter, one when you press the shutter, and eight after. "There's an algorithm that runs on all of those shots to align them all. It moves the frames about so that they match the central frame, and then blends them together. And one of the hardest bits of the algorithm is making sure that there are no artifacts."

This Photo from the Caira was created by stacking eight frames together. Click here to see the original in HDR. Caira | OM System 20mm F1.4 | F2.8 | 1/710s | ISO 951

While the multi-shot capabilities are currently implemented as a separate low-light mode, the company is working on expanding what it can do with them. "We're working very hard on making it do super resolution, where you can actually increase the resolution of the images that it produces quite significantly," Donovan says. "Low-light mode is kind of a stepping stone on the way to that, because super resolution is much more difficult than denoising on its own."

The intensity of those algorithms is part of why the camera needs its own processor, despite being attached to a very powerful phone. "It takes quite a lot of time to transfer Raw photos off the camera, and it has to be the full Raws that go into the stacking algorithm," says Donovan. "So that all happens on the camera, and it's enabled by the fact that we have a very powerful smartphone-style processor from Qualcomm in the camera itself, which is pretty novel." He says it's much more powerful than the processors you'd typically find in more traditional cameras.

Influencing

While Camera Intelligence has obviously put a lot of work into the Caira and its predecessor, the Alice Camera, it has its eyes on a bigger prize: convincing other camera companies that this architecture is the way forward. "We're not just in Yokohama for CP+," says Kumar, who spoke to us at the Camera Intelligence booth, where the company is showing off Caira to attendees at the show.

"We're having deeper conversations with some of the camera brands to see if that resonates"

"We have more than a couple of meetings. We believe that the way in which we have gone about building our camera is more akin to how cameras in the future should be built. Because we use the image sensors from traditional mirrorless cameras, but we're using the processor from a smartphone. And that smartphone processor unlocks a whole bunch of things," he says. "So we're having deeper conversations with some of the camera brands to see if that resonates."

It's not just the features like AI-powered voice control, focusing, or exposure, he suggests. The company also wants to be able to implement other AI features, such as large language or image generation models; the current Caira app lets you edit images using Google's Nano Banana model, but it currently has to run in the cloud, rather than locally, and requires a subscription.

It's not all AI, though. "I think it's the full stack," Kumar says. "It's everything from the decisions we made on the electronics, the operating system layer that we've built, which is called Camera Intelligence OS, the image signal processing pipeline that we've built, which is entirely software-based, and can be updated over the air. And then it's also the user interface with the app and the large language model. It's that entire stack that we think is interesting."

In that respect, the Caira is almost a means to an end. "That's the product that we sell at the moment to prove that architecture and infrastructure can actually be robust. And we need to ship these units because it allows us to stress-test the architecture and the units. And it allows us to do those software and hardware improvements. But it's more to it than just a camera that attaches to your phone."

In that vein, Kumar tells us that the Caira is on schedule to start shipping to the 611 people who backed it on Kickstarter last year by the end of March. He also says they triple-tested a batch of 25 from the production line in their office in London to make sure they were ready to go. We have our hands on a pre-production model and have been doing some testing with it, so keep your eyes peeled for further coverage.

Tied to Apple

To start, Kumar says the Caira's target audience is smartphone shooters who want better image quality. "Smartphones, for better or for worse, have automated large parts of the three A's and everything else for almost a decade. And we always tell our users, 'You need to learn basic photographic theory because it will help you take better photos, take better videos, et cetera.' But we're approaching it from the point of view of: 'OK, how can we automate a lot of this complexity so that the UX matches up with the UX that our target customer base is familiar with?' Not something that's like a minefield for them to navigate."

The app lets you get at a level of manual control, letting you manually set aperture, shutter speed, and ISO (though there's currently no affordance for exposure compensation). "We're starting from a point of view of: 'let's automate as much as possible and then give you control,' rather than 'let's give you full control and then automate after.' Because our customers don't really want that."

There's also a hardware benefit; instead of having to build everything themselves at great expense, Camera Intelligence gets to benefit from the phone's display and connectivity. "I think the main reason was just a lack of resources," says Kumar. "So we were building the electronics. We're building the OS layer. We're building the Image Signal Processor. We're also building the actual physical body. So we thought, okay, why don't we just use the iPhone as the interface, as the screen?"

Donovon also points out that the displays on iPhones, which are up to 6.9" and can reach up to 3000 nits of brightness, far outclass those found on traditional camera models. That brightness, along with readily available software libraries, allowed them to easily add gain-map HDR to the camera, with results you can see as soon as you've taken the picture. The feature is similar to what we've seen with the Hasselblad X2D II; while the Sigma BF also pulls a similar trick with its files, you can't actually appreciate the effect with the screen built into the camera.

Kumar notes that Apple has put a lot of resources into ecosystem features like the App Store, APIs and AirDrop. "So it made sense for us to attach to the phone for our V1 and V2."

For us, our entire product relies on the UX being good.

Of course, that implies that there's a chance the company will try to produce a fully-featured standalone camera in the future, but Kumar says it'd take more than just money to make it happen. "I think we can only promise bringing a product like that to fruition when we have more resources. Not just in terms of money in the bank, but team and the right skill sets. Because if you get that wrong... We've seen a few camera brands release Android-based cameras with standalone screens in the last five years. And they didn't quite execute the concept as well as it could have been done, but those camera companies can absorb that because for them it's just experimenting. For us, our entire product relies on the UX being good."

This article is based on an interview by Mitchell Clark at CP+ 2026. It has been edited for clarity and flow.

Toshiyuki Tsumura, Executive Vice President and Director of Panasonic Imaging Solution Business Division. Photo: Abby Ferguson

Consumers' priorities have changed significantly in recent years, a Panasonic executive told us at this year’s CP+ show in Yokohama, Japan. Meeting those new priorities is part of the challenge, and Panasonic sees new energy not exclusively in full-frame flagships, but also in the small, portable cameras that smartphones never fully replaced.

At CP+ in Yokohama, Japan, we sat down with Toshiyuki Tsumura, Executive Vice President and Director of Panasonic's Imaging Solution Business Division, Takayuki Takabayashi from the Imaging Solution Business Division and Takashi Yamahara, head of the Global Marketing Division and Master of Project Design at Panasonic. In a wide‑ranging conversation, the team shared their candid thoughts on where the camera market is headed, how Lumix plans to serve a new generation of creatives and the role of AI in imaging.

The changing camera market and why compact cameras are booming again

Panasonic's LX100 II was a well‑liked enthusiast compact, but it dates back to 2018. Photo: Jeff Keller

"In general, the camera market is growing," says Tsumura. "For several years after COVID, the camera market shrank, but since then, it has been growing gradually every year. Last year it was up seven percent compared to the previous year." That's certainly good news for photographers, as a healthy camera industry means more support moving forward.

However, Tsumura is quick to point out that it's not the same market that peaked a decade ago, and consumers now have different priorities. "Previously, the driving force was high-end full-frame cameras. But recently, the value-zone cameras are driving the market, such as entry-level mirrorless cameras or compact cameras," Tsumura explains.

"The trend is shifting toward compact cameras," Tsumura goes on to say. "The reason is that a lot of people enjoy making and sharing photos and videos, and they want better image quality as much as possible. Many people feel that smartphones cannot fully satisfy their desire for good image quality."

"The trend is shifting toward compact cameras."

In Tsumura's view, compact cameras offer three distinct advantages over phones: better low-light performance, longer (and higher-quality) zoom, and options like genuine waterproofing. He points out that younger generations see images and videos constantly, and their analysis of those users found that they can distinguish the quality difference between smartphone images and those made with dedicated cameras.

For Panasonic, that shift could create a new kind of opportunity. Whether that means we should expect a new Lumix compact camera remains to be seen, but it is clear that Panasonic recognizes the shift in priorities and isn't ignoring it.

The future of Micro Four Thirds

The GH7 was Panasonic's last truly new Micro Four Thirds camera, though it was closer in size to full-frame hybrid cameras, rather than leaning into the compactness of the format. Photo Dale Baskin

Given the interest in smaller camera systems, we also asked the Panasonic team about Micro Four Thirds cameras. "Every year, we strengthen the Micro Four Thirds lineup, and we would like to continue this kind of development," Tsumura says.

The reason comes back to the same shift that's reshaping the broader market. Micro Four Thirds' core strengths are still compactness and low weight, and when you factor in lenses, the overall package can be significantly smaller than an equivalent full‑frame kit. That matters for the entry‑level and step‑up users Panasonic is increasingly targeting. "That's what entry users are requiring right now – portability and compactness so they can bring the camera everywhere," Tsumura explains. "So we are studying what kind of value we can propose to those users now and in the future with Micro Four Thirds."

"In the past, the 'battlefield' of cameras was resolution and sensor size. Now it's a little bit different"

At the same time, the company's expectations for the system have evolved. "In the past, the 'battlefield' of cameras was resolution and sensor size. Now it's a little bit different," Tsumura says. Panasonic now sees new customers who are more focused on the experience of using a camera and how it fits a specific purpose.

There's still room for more pro‑oriented full‑frame body

The S1H is the only S-series camera that hasn't seen an update. Photo: Dan Bracaglia

On the other end of the spectrum, the S1II is one of the most capable hybrid mirrorless cameras for video, but Panasonic thinks there's room to take it even further. While the original S1H remains the only first‑generation S‑series body without a direct successor, Tsumura avoids promising an exact S1H II. Instead, he frames the project more broadly: "Video production for the 'prosumers' is getting more and more important," Tsumura explains. "We are now investigating what kind of professional features we need to incorporate into new professional-type video cameras."

For what's next, the team is studying real applications, usage patterns and system requirements for higher‑end production, rather than just stacking on specs. As Tsumura puts it, they are looking beyond the current S1 II, "which already incorporates a lot of good video features, we are studying what we need to improve and what we need to add. That's what we're working on now," he says.

AI and computational imaging as core pillars

Computational photography has been a focus for Panasonic for some time, and AI is now an additional area of consideration. Inside Panasonic, AI isn't treated as a side project but as a central pillar of future camera development. "We put a high priority on computational imaging," Tsumura says. "This is very important for us. In order to evolve this area, we utilize AI technology."

"We can't say which companies, but we are talking with many partners and getting advanced technologies from them."

Panasonic isn't tackling AI integration alone, though. "To incorporate concrete AI technologies, we are now contacting lots of AI technology partner companies," Tsumura tells us. "We can't say which companies, but we are talking with many partners and getting advanced technologies from them. We then select and incorporate these technologies into specific features."

Twenty‑five years of Lumix

Finally, this year marks the 25th anniversary of Lumix, though internally, it seems Panasonic frames the milestone less as a victory lap and more as an obligation. "We were almost the last player to enter this camera market, so we feel we have a duty to continue this journey because of the customers who have supported us," says Yamahara. "The 25th anniversary is a kind of milestone, but we also need to continue beyond it."

In a nod to the anniversary, we ask Tsumura which single product he sees as the most important in Lumix history. Without any hesitation, he responds: "the G1, one of the first mirrorless cameras. That product created the mirrorless market and changed camera culture."

Parc de la tete d'or centaurs – The Centauress and a Faun (Lyon, France). Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10M3 @ 40mm (equiv) | F7.1 | 1/320 sec | ISO 100 Photo: Saint 112

For last week's Question of the week, we asked DPReview readers what 'image quality' meant to them. We knew that talking about the subject was going to lead to a wide range of results, but we were still impressed by how image quality is both emotionally perceived and scientifically analyzed in the same breadth. In describing their own meanings of image quality, we also got an important glimpse into why photographers do what they do.

Early on in our conversation, LakeSuperior 1 summarized it in a great way:

"I think there are two types of image quality. The technical type (sharpness, contrast, noise, etc.), and then there is the story within the photo. Some of the most famous photos ever taken didn't have good technical quality, but the image and story told made the whole photo great. I'm happy with either depending on the shot."

And Leonp put it nicely when talking about the point of a photo at the end of the day:

"For me, the summary of what image quality means is that the viewer sees what the photographer wanted to show."

Many of our readers felt there are two aspects to image quality. Keep reading to see which camp was chosen most, and why.

The Technicals

Nikon Z50 Photo: Howard V

jhwalker: I like my photographs to be an exact capture of what I see; i.e., accurate colors, clean and crisp details, balanced shadows and highlights, etc. The biggest concern I have is accurate colors. I'm so sick of hypersaturated greens and blown-out or too orange reds.

Impulses: Color rendition is the only thing on camera bodies that seems up for debate. As much as some swear you can't reproduce certain manufacturer combinations, with enough work (and a RAW file), I think you can. Don't quote me on it, though.

Klaus dk: I'm more in the camp for IQ, meaning measurables like resolution, sharpness, color, dynamic range, noise, bokeh, (lack of) geometric distortion, etc. This is different from the qualities that impact us and make us say, "This is a good photograph" when we see what the photographer wants us to see. Sometimes we can also recognize how they used the tools at their disposal, and learn from it. My personal opinion is that if genius should suddenly strike when I'm shooting, I'd hate to have gear fail me on what would have been the shot of a lifetime, but instead it was ruined with mediocre or even bad IQ.

The Feeling

Photo: Martinhb

AJF1934: For me, image quality means an image that I want to do something with. Perhaps that's by sharing it, printing it for display or putting it in an album. It has little to do with technical attributes and much more to do with the context, content and composition.

Satyaa: When it comes to color photos, the color accuracy, within a reasonable margin, fits the bill. I don't need to measure colors with charts. A white lily should look white, and a crow should look black. If the colors of a tiger (not a white one), a lion, a golden retriever, etc., look reasonably life-like, I am happy. I believe small differences are due to white balance algorithms (or the color filters used) by brand or model. They can simply be adjusted in post-processing.

Krummj: The longer I photograph, the more I'm interested in the story, composition and general impact of the photo, and the less I care about what we call "image quality". I also care about the memory. When I go through old files, I'm way more concerned about why the photo is interesting and what is in it than I am about its actual image quality.

Gloomy1: For me, a quality image is one where the image conveys what I was feeling at the time of capturing it. It is all about emotional impact. The technical aspects only come in if they are so poor that they get in the way of “enjoying” the image.

The Mix

Photo: Bruce Trailer Hiker

Schrammel: Generally, I’m more than satisfied with what modern cameras and lenses can deliver in terms of image quality. Sometimes, though, I take photos simply to capture spontaneous moments. In those situations, I’m often not really happy with the image quality – not because it’s too poor, but because it’s too good. Photos often don’t quite work because they feel too perfect: too neutral, clean and sharp. This includes too little noise and colors that are too accurate.

As much as I appreciate the technical image quality of modern cameras, I sometimes feel that something has been lost along the way – something you might call character, or maybe even soul.

gpwitteveen: Like so much else in life, the answer depends on your frame of reference. Image quality can have quantifiable gradations for the purpose of reviews or benchmarking, but for client work, it could be something else entirely, perhaps based on satisfying that audience of one.

Like so much else in life, the answer depends on your frame of reference.

For example, something crisp versus something with a "lo-fi" look, say. For color, there is the degree of immersiveness produced in a combination of viewing size, viewing (ambient) lighting, and the image elements themselves to lead the viewer in the frame and into the frozen moment. Meanwhile, for black-and-white, there is an inherent abstraction that separates a viewer from the source. Once the viewer acclimates to monochrome emotional responses, then some immersiveness is possible as well; but always different to the color.

Things like resolution and light values similar to unaided human vision can be a good standard of comparison for any image. But to express something beyond human vision, there is more than lines per millimeter or dynamic range to consider.

Photo: Gloomy1

There were many other great responses shared in the forums. Thanks to everyone who took the time to explain what image quality means to you.

Keep watch for the next Question of the week every other Wednesday to participate in this series. New questions are posted here on the homepage and in the forums. We can't wait to read and share your stories!

Share what 'image quality' means to you!

Image via u/Radeon26

UPDATE MARCH 24: Panasonic has now officially released the TZ300. For more information, you can read our coverage here.

It seems like Panasonic may be working on a new compact camera: the TZ300. Reddit user Radeon26 posted a photo that appears to show the upcoming camera, alongside a specs card that says it has a 20MP Type-1 sensor, a 24-360mm equiv. F3.3-6.4 lens and a macro mode for taking pictures of subjects as close as 3cm (1.2") away.

The image came from a now-private video from a Polish creator, which we were able to watch before it was pulled. It appeared to show an official Panasonic event where the rest of the company's Lumix lineup, as well as other electronics, were being shown off.

While we weren't able to get more information from the video than what's visible in the screenshot, we can probably do some informed speculation, given that the camera's name and design imply that it's a follow-up to the Lumix DC-ZS200/TZ200 from 2018. That camera has the same sensor and lens specs, though is equipped with a microUSB port. It could be that, as with the Lumix DC-ZS99 from last year, the company is releasing a mild update of the camera to add USB-C.

One thing we wouldn't like to see repeated from the DC-ZS99 refresh is the loss of an EVF, though the video being taken down makes it hard to scrub through frame by frame for any hint of one on the TZ300. But, given the sticker next to the camera that says "Embargo Date 24 March 2026," it seems like we won't have to wait that long before there's an official announcement.

Image: Viltrox

Viltrox has announced the Vintage Z2 TTL on-camera flash, the third entry in its series of retro-styled accessories. Unlike the Z1 and Z3, this one folds down when not in use, allowing it to be higher off the camera body, avoiding shadows, while not adding much height to your overall setup.

The Z2 is compact and only weighs 52g (1.8oz), despite its built-in battery, which is rechargeable via USB-C. The company says that the battery is good for 700 full-power shots per charge, and at its max setting, the flash puts out 10Ws. It has a guide number of 6, though Viltrox doesn't specify an ISO; we've reached out to Viltrox to ask for clarification.

The flash can fold down to keep a low profile. Image: Viltrox

Viltrox is making versions of the Z2 for Sony, Fujifilm, Nikon and Canon, with each version being compatible with its respective brand's TTL system. The flash also has a manual mode, controlled by two top-mounted buttons which let you choose from five power levels.

The flash won't be the best pick for rapid-fire shoots, with a recycle time of two seconds, but for those just looking to play around with adding light to their scene, it could be a good option.

The Z2 costs $36, and is available from the company's website.

Some of the Camera Intelligence team, all holding Cairas. Left: Vik Kumar, COO. Middle: Vishal Kumar, CEO. Right: Liam Donovan, CTO. Photo: Mitchell Clark

"I think a lot of people mistake our product as a gadget," says Vishal Kumar, CEO of Camera Intelligence, the company behind the Caira, a Micro Four Thirds camera that attaches to the back of an iPhone. "That's the wrong way to think about it," he says. "We're building the full technology stack, we believe, for the future of cameras."

While the company is currently wrapping up its Kickstarter campaign for the Caira, it has much bigger ambitions than selling an accessory that makes your phone a better camera, or even than selling dedicated cameras. Ultimately, it says, it's trying to change how cameras are made, and trying to convince the established camera companies that its tech is the way to photography's next step forward.

What is Caira?

The Caira has a Micro Four Thirds mount and an 11MP sensor. It doesn't work standalone – it requires an iPhone and has a corresponding app. Product photos: Mitchell Clark

While Camera Intelligence's ambitions clearly go beyond its first product, it's worth looking at where they're taking root. If you didn't catch the announcement in October, the Caira mounts to the back of an iPhone using MagSafe and connects to it via Wi-Fi. From there, you get your image preview and can control it using an on-screen interface or via voice.

Its big trick, though, is that it's not just a lens mount and an 11MP Four Thirds quad-Bayer sensor from Sony Semiconductor (think Panasonic GH5S). It also has a Snapdragon processor, which it uses to power its AI autofocus and to make decisions about white balance and exposure. It also handles the processing for the camera's computational multi-shot modes.

"At the moment, it's mainly designed for denoising," says Liam Donovan, Camera Intelligence's CTO. "It's optimized for reducing noise in low light and giving you more dynamic range." He explains that the algorithm, which the company is still working on but is shipping on production cameras, takes up to 17 shots: eight before you press the shutter, one when you press the shutter, and eight after. "There's an algorithm that runs on all of those shots to align them all. It moves the frames about so that they match the central frame, and then blends them together. And one of the hardest bits of the algorithm is making sure that there are no artifacts."

This Photo from the Caira was created by stacking eight frames together. Click here to see the original in HDR. Caira | OM System 20mm F1.4 | F2.8 | 1/710s | ISO 951

While the multi-shot capabilities are currently implemented as a separate low-light mode, the company is working on expanding what it can do with them. "We're working very hard on making it do super resolution, where you can actually increase the resolution of the images that it produces quite significantly," Donovan says. "Low-light mode is kind of a stepping stone on the way to that, because super resolution is much more difficult than denoising on its own."

The intensity of those algorithms is part of why the camera needs its own processor, despite being attached to a very powerful phone. "It takes quite a lot of time to transfer Raw photos off the camera, and it has to be the full Raws that go into the stacking algorithm," says Donovan. "So that all happens on the camera, and it's enabled by the fact that we have a very powerful smartphone-style processor from Qualcomm in the camera itself, which is pretty novel." He says it's much more powerful than the processors you'd typically find in more traditional cameras.

Influencing

While Camera Intelligence has obviously put a lot of work into the Caira and its predecessor, the Alice Camera, it has its eyes on a bigger prize: convincing other camera companies that this architecture is the way forward. "We're not just in Yokohama for CP+," says Kumar, who spoke to us at the Camera Intelligence booth, where the company is showing off Caira to attendees at the show.

"We're having deeper conversations with some of the camera brands to see if that resonates"

"We have more than a couple of meetings. We believe that the way in which we have gone about building our camera is more akin to how cameras in the future should be built. Because we use the image sensors from traditional mirrorless cameras, but we're using the processor from a smartphone. And that smartphone processor unlocks a whole bunch of things," he says. "So we're having deeper conversations with some of the camera brands to see if that resonates."

It's not just the features like AI-powered voice control, focusing, or exposure, he suggests. The company also wants to be able to implement other AI features, such as large language or image generation models; the current Caira app lets you edit images using Google's Nano Banana model, but it currently has to run in the cloud, rather than locally, and requires a subscription.

It's not all AI, though. "I think it's the full stack," Kumar says. "It's everything from the decisions we made on the electronics, the operating system layer that we've built, which is called Camera Intelligence OS, the image signal processing pipeline that we've built, which is entirely software-based, and can be updated over the air. And then it's also the user interface with the app and the large language model. It's that entire stack that we think is interesting."

In that respect, the Caira is almost a means to an end. "That's the product that we sell at the moment to prove that architecture and infrastructure can actually be robust. And we need to ship these units because it allows us to stress-test the architecture and the units. And it allows us to do those software and hardware improvements. But it's more to it than just a camera that attaches to your phone."

In that vein, Kumar tells us that the Caira is on schedule to start shipping to the 611 people who backed it on Kickstarter last year by the end of March. He also says they triple-tested a batch of 25 from the production line in their office in London to make sure they were ready to go. We have our hands on a pre-production model and have been doing some testing with it, so keep your eyes peeled for further coverage.

Tied to Apple

To start, Kumar says the Caira's target audience is smartphone shooters who want better image quality. "Smartphones, for better or for worse, have automated large parts of the three A's and everything else for almost a decade. And we always tell our users, 'You need to learn basic photographic theory because it will help you take better photos, take better videos, et cetera.' But we're approaching it from the point of view of: 'OK, how can we automate a lot of this complexity so that the UX matches up with the UX that our target customer base is familiar with?' Not something that's like a minefield for them to navigate."

The app lets you get at a level of manual control, letting you manually set aperture, shutter speed, and ISO (though there's currently no affordance for exposure compensation). "We're starting from a point of view of: 'let's automate as much as possible and then give you control,' rather than 'let's give you full control and then automate after.' Because our customers don't really want that."

There's also a hardware benefit; instead of having to build everything themselves at great expense, Camera Intelligence gets to benefit from the phone's display and connectivity. "I think the main reason was just a lack of resources," says Kumar. "So we were building the electronics. We're building the OS layer. We're building the Image Signal Processor. We're also building the actual physical body. So we thought, okay, why don't we just use the iPhone as the interface, as the screen?"

Donovon also points out that the displays on iPhones, which are up to 6.9" and can reach up to 3000 nits of brightness, far outclass those found on traditional camera models. That brightness, along with readily available software libraries, allowed them to easily add gain-map HDR to the camera, with results you can see as soon as you've taken the picture. The feature is similar to what we've seen with the Hasselblad X2D II; while the Sigma BF also pulls a similar trick with its files, you can't actually appreciate the effect with the screen built into the camera.

Kumar notes that Apple has put a lot of resources into ecosystem features like the App Store, APIs and AirDrop. "So it made sense for us to attach to the phone for our V1 and V2."

For us, our entire product relies on the UX being good.

Of course, that implies that there's a chance the company will try to produce a fully-featured standalone camera in the future, but Kumar says it'd take more than just money to make it happen. "I think we can only promise bringing a product like that to fruition when we have more resources. Not just in terms of money in the bank, but team and the right skill sets. Because if you get that wrong... We've seen a few camera brands release Android-based cameras with standalone screens in the last five years. And they didn't quite execute the concept as well as it could have been done, but those camera companies can absorb that because for them it's just experimenting. For us, our entire product relies on the UX being good."

Photo: Mitchell Clark

Nikon says it's discovered a "manufacturing issue" affecting a number of Z5II, Z6III and ZR models. It says the issue may cause the cameras to become inoperable.

A longer version of its statement blames the issue on the use of "parts that do not meet our quality standards."

The company says it's identified the serial number ranges subject to the issue and asked users to check whether their camera is affected. It says it will repair these cameras free of charge, including shipping costs.

The company has not disclosed the specifics of the potential fault, nor the number of cameras affected.

Interestingly, the statements in some regions exclude certain models, with no Z6III built for the European market being affected and only ZR models intended for Canada being impacted. This, and the many posts on this article and in the forums by users saying their cameras aren't in the affected range, suggests a relatively small production period used the faulty parts.

Photo: Fujifilm

Fujifilm has announced the latest entry in its Instax lineup, the Instax Mini 13. The new model brings only subtle changes to the table: a redesigned body and the addition of a timer. Fujifilm also announced an update to its Instax Up smartphone app, and a new space-inspired instant film.

As we saw with the last few iterations, the Instax Mini 13 underwent a slight redesign. It still looks similar to the Instax Mini 12, though with some added vertical ridges for a more balloon-like look. Fujifilm also opted for a metallic silver logo on the front of the camera. There's also now a circular timer on the front of the camera, with the option to choose between 2 or 10 seconds. There's also now an indicator light around the front shutter button, presumably to let you know when the timer is about to run out.

Photo: Fujifilm

Functionally, the only change is the addition of dual timers. The camera still offers a close-up mode, auto exposure, automatic flash control and a selfie mirror. It also carries over the Parallax Correction feature introduced on the Mini 12, which aligns the viewfinder with the lens in close-up mode for easier framing. As with previous models, twisting the lens turns the camera on and off and changes to close-up mode.

In addition to the camera, Fujifilm updated its Instax Up app, which is a free smartphone app that allows users to scan and organize their Instax photos. The company says that the new version uses AI to improve scans. It promises better recognition of the image versus the background or any other nonessential content, producing more precise scans.

Lastly, there's also a new Instax Mini film on the block, dubbed Pastel Galaxy. As the name suggests, the film's frame features a pastel-colored galaxy design with scattered stars.

Fujifilm is sticking with pastel colors for its latest Instax Mini. The official color names for the are Dreamy Purple, Lagoon Green, Candy Pink, Frost Blue and Clay White. Photo: Fujifilm

The Instax Mini 13 will be available in late June 2026 for $94. It comes in pastel purple, blue, pink, green and white. The Pastel Galaxy film will also be available in late June 2026 for $18 per pack.

Yikes! Image: @gupigupigupigupigupigupigupi on Instagram

Sometimes, Instagram can be a source for creative ideas to put your own spin on. Other times, it can give you examples of what not to do. One of the videos that crossed our feed today was the latter: captioned "every photographer's worst nightmare happened to me," it shows a lighting stand with a flash attached crashing to the ground, ruining the photographer's laptop.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Артем Орлов | Gupi (@gupigupigupigupigupigupigupi)

Despite the apparent misfortune, the clip actually shows someone getting extremely lucky, as the heavy rig could've easily come down on the photographer or the model they were shooting, which could've resulted in a serious injury or worse. So how do you avoid making the same mistake?

If you look in the comments (and at the photographer's post itself), you'll see a ton of people suggesting the same thing: sandbags or something similar to weigh the stand down. And indeed, that's an excellent place to start. With an overhead lighting setup, I'd probably look to use at least two: one on the leg that's in line with the load and another on a second leg. If the load were super heavy or very far away from the center of the stand, I'd even consider using three, though I'd check my stand's weight limit first.

It also appears that the wheels may not have been locked, given how the stand kicked out when it started falling. If that's the case, they definitely should've been, especially with an overhanging load.

If the weight is sticking out from the stand without a leg under it, it can tip much more easily

There are a few things the photographer in the clip did right, even if they ultimately weren't enough to save the laptop. Ironically, there is, in fact, a sandbag in the video: it's hanging as a counter-balance on the end of the rod. The photographer also appears to have roughly aligned one of the legs and the arm, which is an important step. If the weight is sticking out from the stand without a leg directly under it, it can tip much more easily. Of course, none of that matters if you don't first secure the base of the stand with, say it with me, everyone: sandbags.

Some more sandbag pro tips: if the bag is touching the ground, it's going to be less effective, since some of its weight won't be transferring down through the stand's legs. And if you're using a stand with unequally sized legs, like a C-stand, the biggest, sturdiest and tallest one should be the one sandbagged first, and the one facing the load.

That also generally makes it the one facing the most important thing on the set: the people. That way, if it falls, it falls away from them In the case with the video, though, the photographer should've consulted the stands' manual to see where the manufacturer recommended hanging sandbags from. If there isn't a safe place to do so, they should've used a different stand for an overhead setup.

Have any light stand horror stories (or tips on how to avoid them) of your own? Feel free to share them in the comments or over on our forums. Stay safe out there.

Lake Kuttara is a lake in the caldera of a volcano in Shikotsu-Tōya National Park on the island of Hokkaido in Japan. Photo: Dale Baskin

Sometimes, you have to go to Hell and back to get the story, and I did just that with the Sigma 15mm F1.4 DC Contemporary lens. Specifically, I went to Noboribetsu Jigokudani (Hell Valley) in Shikotsu-Tōya National Park on the island of Hokkaido, Japan, a geothermally active volcanic area where sulfur-scented steam clouds seep from the ground.

The Sigma 15mm F1.4 DC Contemporary is a fast, wide lens designed specifically for APS-C cameras. Since we had the RF mount version, I shot it on the Canon EOS R7, resulting in a 24mm full-frame equivalent field of view on Canon's APS-C format.

In addition to taking the lens to Hokkaido, I also shot it around Tokyo and Yokohama, sometimes in very rainy conditions. It's worth noting that I had this lens (and the R7) around my neck in the rain for a couple of hours straight at one point, almost dripping with water, and neither missed a beat, suggesting the weather sealing on both is pretty effective.

"Sometimes, you have to go to Hell and back to get the story"

While the X-mount and E-mount versions of this lens include an aperture ring, the RF-mount version has a control ring. It's clicked, but I've never found a generic control ring to be a great substitute for a clicked aperture ring, particularly since it's very easy to rotate inadvertently. It also offers the flexibility to assign different settings to the ring. From that perspective, it's neither a pro nor a con, but something to be aware of if you're considering the Canon version.

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.