Vietnam - Mamiya 7 - Fuji Provia 100F. Photo: Community member MyReality

In last week's Question of the week, our community eagerly awaited the arrival of 2026 with a healthy list of New Year's resolutions, ranging from committing to a better understanding of current gear to rethinking old habits. Many of you also said, "I need to slow down!" when preparing for that perfect shot. While a great opportunity doesn't always wait for us, it was clear from your resolutions that you felt it would help to take more time setting up the shot when possible.

Sharing your resolutions

For the resolutions quoted below, we aimed to showcase a variety of experiences and interesting stories. I was especially impressed with SJSNIKON's commitment to their photo collection of 60,000 images dedicated to Dutch cultural heritage. Nice work! And great job faunagraphy for capturing a great shot of that tiger without it capturing you first :-).

For the photos shared, we were able to include nearly all of the submissions. Thank you for including a photo with your responses when possible. It makes it a lot more fun when we can share them with your comments.

Read on for a spotlight selection of contributions, and then join our forum community to share your great photos and the stories they tell.

DaveZSmitty: I recently bought a refurbished D7500, and I'm getting used to using the back LCD to make my changes, unlike my D7000, which had a top screen behind the shutter button. So, I'm training my muscle memory for the new camera in 2026.

Minibike: I'm a primes guy, but I'm going to do the opposite and use zooms as my main lenses, with the goal of getting better at seeing compositions within a bigger scene and zooming in to isolate them. Also, be aggressive in deleting pointless photos. I think it was HCB who said something like, There is no salvage, there is only yes or no. If I stick to that philosophy, I'll have about five keepers in 2026 :).

Hike Pics: To sell/donate a LOT of my cameras, at least half of them. They are taking up way too much space in my studio. Funny thing is, I said the same exact thing early this year!

Click here to see everyone's resolutions

A wild opportunity to capture a great photo with a tiger. Photo: Community member faunagraphy

faunagraphy: My New Year's resolution is to try to be less of a technical perfectionist. This goes against my nature - often, I am out in nature experiencing things that would be the envy of many people, and yet, I return home unhappy because my photos fall short of my idea of perfection. They could always be more detailed or sharper; perhaps the shutter speed was too low or too high, or perhaps my compositions should have been wider or tighter. If a photo is slightly out of focus, or slightly blurry, or without the max possible amount of detail, it's a "lost opportunity" - no matter how compelling a story it tells.

Satyaa: Figure out how to get good value from using my gear, without buying more gear that I "want" (not need).

RJSNIKON: Happy New Year, everybody! My New Year's resolution in the photographic field is to prepare my 60,000+ photo collection on Dutch cultural heritage for transfer into the collection of the cultural heritage organization where I work when I retire (in a few years).

Keith Cooper: Two related things - print more and print bigger, and produce at least one large print that stops people, makes them look, and prompts them to wonder how I did it. By large, I mean needing at least 64" roll paper.

A lonely tree on a grassy hill-top with the sun shining through. Photo: Community member DuckShots

DuckShots: Funny you should ask, because I had just made a list. Tired of my wall hangings, which need a bit of freshening up with recent photos. I need to be more disciplined in shooting and filing self-portraits, something I do to maintain my skills in light of the absence of people who will sit for a portrait. I shoot every day, a practice I will maintain, but these shoots should include more exploration. No more books. I need to go back and review what I have.

dollarslice: Think about what else I can do with existing photography versus constantly feeling the need to go shoot more. Last year I put together a small book of black and white photos I've made, next I want to make one of my color work. I also desperately need to back up and organize all my files.

AfzalKhanVisuals: From 2026, I am planning to change a few things in my photography. These ideas are not entirely new, but they feel necessary. One thing is to push photography further into storytelling, not just images, but the art of stories. Stories of human behavior, fleeting moments, nature, and the quiet truth of being human.

Sam Bennett: I want to leave a more substantial "paper trail." So much of what I do is for social media - whether it's for myself or the venues that I work for. That's all well and good, but as I get older, I want to ensure that what I do is available in a tangible form. So I've started printing more - even if it's these tiny Instax prints. When I photograph bands, I typically finish processing the "quick picks" for the marketing team, so it's easy to print these out and hand them to the band.

Taken as a whole, these resolutions show that you are thinking strategically about what you want from your photography this year. There’s less emphasis on chasing perfection or new gear, and more on printing work, telling better stories, editing with purpose, and creating something that we can all admire.

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!

What are your resolutions for this year? Click here to join the discussion!

Image: Fujifilm

Fujifilm has announced a surprising addition to its popular Instax camera line: the Instax Mini Evo Cinema. The camera builds on Fujifilm's existing Evo lineup, which focuses on a hybrid of digital and instant film, adding the ability to record video. It offers a handful of unexpected features, including an "Eras Dial."

The Mini Evo Cinema features a design vaguely reminiscent of the Fujica Single-8 camcorder from the 1960s. It shares the vertical orientation and a trigger for recording video. You won't be recording feature-length films with it, though, as it's only capable of 15-second clips. You can view videos instantly on the small rear display, and then choose individual scenes to print to Instax film. The Instax prints also feature a QR code that allows you to play the video, though Fujifilm notes that it will only store videos on its servers for two years, so you'll want to be sure to download them before that time runs out.

When you print a still from a video, a QR code is added. Image: Fujifilm

Should you want to make the camera look even more retro, there's an optional viewfinder attachment that converts the small screen into an electronic viewfinder. There's also an attachment to make the grip more prominent, and a dedicated case.

The camera also features an "Eras Dial" that would make Taylor Swift proud. It offers 10 different settings that change the look of the footage to recreate the feel of each era, spanning from 1930 to 2020. It also adds sounds, such as the whir of film reels, for a more complete experience. Each effect provides 10 levels of adjustment to fine-tune the result.

The "Eras Dial" allows you to change the look and sound of your videos. Image: Fujifilm

On the stills side of things, you trigger a print by using a lever that Fujifilm says is designed to evoke the feel of winding film. Like the other Evo cameras, you can print images you take with the camera like a traditional instant camera, or print photos from your smartphone.

There's a small display on the back of the camera. Image: Fujifilm

The camera is equipped with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and connects to the Instax app, which allows you to view photos and videos captured with the device. You can also combine video clips to create videos up to 30 seconds long with cinematic opening and ending templates. There are also poster templates for you to create movie posters by adding text.

The camera is only available in Japan, and is slated to go on sale January 30th. Fujifilm hasn't shared full specs – such as what size or resolution sensor the camera is using or battery life – or a price as of yet. For now, we'll have to wait on details, and to find out if it will be available elsewhere.

Image: Godox

Godox has announced an update to its popular portable strobe, the AD100Pro II. The new model retains many of the well-regarded features of the original, while introducing worthy refinements such as an improved cooling system and updated wireless control.

Like the first iteration, the AD100Pro II delivers 100Ws of power, which can be adjusted in nine steps. However, Godox upgraded the cooling architecture of the flash, and it's now capable of 60 to 100 consecutive full-power flashes without overheating. It also features a higher-capacity 3300mAh battery (up from 2600mAh in the original), rated for up to 490 full-power flashes, and rechargeable via USB-C.

Godox added a group indicator light on the body of the flash, which uses 16 color options to indicate different groups during multi-light setups. The color-coded lights make it much easier to see which group a specific unit is assigned to at a glance, allowing for faster adjustments. A new full-color display on the back makes it easy to see and adjust settings. While the flash still uses the Godox 2.4GHz X wireless system, it now also supports 433 MHz connectivity. Godox also added compatibility with its new X3-series triggers, with quick-sync pairing with the X3 and X3Pro for faster setup time.

Despite the new features and larger battery, it's still very lightweight, coming in at 564g (1.2lbs). It's also still very compact, measuring 122.2 x 76.0 x 76.0mm (4.81 x 2.99 x 2.99"), making it easy to toss in a bag for shoots out of the studio.

Image: Godox

Otherwise, the AD100Pro II offers familiar features. It offers a recycle time that ranges from 0.01-1.5 seconds, depending on flash power. It supports TTL compatibility for automatic exposure, and with high-speed sync, you can shoot at shutter speeds as fast as 1/8000s. It also supports front and rear curtain sync. A built-in magnetic mount enables compatibility with Godox's round-head accessories, allowing for fast and versatile light modification. It offers a transmission range of 100m (328') and a 5W modeling lamp with 10 brightness levels.

The new Godox AD100Pro II is available for preorder now for $299 with an expected shipping date of January 27.

Buy now:

Photo: Mitchell Clark

Before the holidays, we put the Sony a7 V in front of our studio test scene to see for ourselves how good its dynamic range performance is. Now that we're fully into the swing of 2026, it's time to take a look at what our studio scene reveals about its 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.

Comparing processed Raws at base ISO, the a7 V's 33MP sensor provides a similar level of detail to cameras with similar resolutions, such as its predecessor and Canon's EOS R6 III, while offering a bump up from its 24MP competitors. It does appear that Sony has slightly tweaked the formula for the camera's color response compared to the a7 IV, and we've found the JPEGs it puts out to be pleasing.

At high ISOs, the a7 V's Raws show a touch more noise than those of its competition, a trend that continues as you push your ISO higher, but its JPEG engine does a decent job of reducing noise while still retaining details. Its ISO range extends a stop higher than the Canon EOS R6 III's, but in most circumstances, this simply means you have a wider range of settings that provide an unusable image.

Overall, the a7 V's images are very similar to the a7 IV's, but its partially stacked sensor brings better low-ISO dynamic range and burst rates without any noticeable impact on image quality.

Image: Nikon

Nikon has announced the Nikkor Z 24-105mm F4-7.1, a budget zoom lens for its full frame cameras. It's designed to be lightweight and relatively compact, despite its relatively versatile focal range.

The lens is made up of 12 elements in 10 groups, with one ED element and two aspherical lenses. It has a minimum focusing distance of 0.2m (7.9") on the wide end, which increases to 0.28m 11") on the long end, which lets you obtain 0.5x reproduction from 70 to 105mm.

It's a relatively light lens at 350g (12.4oz), and is only 107mm (4.2") long when retracted, so it won't be too hard to carry around with you. It has a 67mm thread for filters. While the company says it's "designed with consideration for dust and drip-resistance," we wouldn't expect it to have the level of weather sealing as the company's more premium lenses.

As most modern budget lenses do, the 24-105mm F4-7.1 uses a stepper motor for autofocusing, which Nikon says will provide "fast and quiet autofocusing" for stills and video shooting. The lens also has a customizable ring, which you can set to control a variety of settings like focus, aperture, exposure compensation or ISO.

It's an interesting addition to Nikon's lineup, especially considering its availability as a kit option for the company's budget full frame entry, the Z5II. The company's 24-120mm F4 S has been widely lauded and offers slightly more reach, but is more expensive and heavier. The same is true of the 24-200mm F4-6.3, another Z5II kit option that offers even more reach.

The Nikon 24-105mm F4-7.1 will be available starting in "mid January" at a suggested retail price of $550. It'll also be available in a kit with the Z5II for $2200, around $350 more than the camera's standalone retail price.

Manufacturer Samples

Photos provided by Nikon

Nikon Nikkor Z 24-105mm F4-7.1 specifications: