The $250 two-mic kit adds microSD storage, with support for 32-bit float recording.
Insta360
Insta360 has announced the third offering in its wireless mic lineup: the simply named Insta360 Mic. It shares many of the same features as the more expensive Mic Pro, including the customizable E-Ink screen, though it trades built-in storage for a bring-your-own approach.
The Mic Pro has 32GB of storage built in, which it can use to internally record 32-bit float and more standard, but less flexible 24-bit audio. The Insta360 Mic can do the same, but only after you’ve added a microSD card. The Mic transmitters can still record via Bluetooth or through the receiver if memory cards are not inserted.
The other main difference between the Mic and Mic Pro is the microphone capsule. The pro version features a three-mic array, with four different pickup modes (omnidirectional, super-directional, cardioid and figure-8). The Mic, on the other hand, uses a single mic with an omnidirectional pickup pattern.
The Mic transmitters feature a microSD card slot for adding onboard storage.Insta360
The display on the Mic, like the Mic Pro, uses color E-Ink technology, which can be fully customized using the Insta360 app. This means users aren’t stuck having to cover the microphone with not very attractive tape if they don’t want another company’s logo on their chest.
The app comes pre-loaded with a range of designs, from Insta360 logos to emojis, pets, colorful avatars and more. You can also upload your own design or photo, if you want your own branding on display, with the option to make small tweaks to those images in the app before loading them onto the transmitters.
Insta360
The Insta360 Mic uses AI noise cancellation, which the company says suppresses background noise while keeping the audio from the person speaking clean. It also offers two automatic gain modes. Auto mode helps to prevent clipping, while Dynamic mode, Insta360 says, balances volume changes for more consistent loudness. There are also three voice tone presets: Regular, Rich and Bright.
Insta360 says the Mic supports a transmission range of up to 400 m (0.25 miles). A single Mic receiver can connect to up to four transmitters at once, and it can be used with both Mic and Mic Pro transmitters. Additionally, for multi-camera shoots, two transmitters can send audio to up to four receivers at once.
Insta360
Select Insta360 cameras can pair directly to a single Mic transmitter via Bluetooth, enabling 48kHz audio without the receiver. The Insta360 X6 and Luna can pair to two transmitters at once. Additionally, the Mic can connect to smartphones and cameras through the included USB-C adapter or 3.5mm cable. Each transmitter promises 13 hours of recording on a single charge, while the included charging case extends that to up to 34 hours, which is slightly more than the quoted time for the Mic Pro.
The Insta360 Mic is available for purchase now. The kit with two transmitters and one receiver costs $250, which is $80 cheaper than the Mic Pro. Insta360 is also offering a kit with a single transmitter and receiver for $140, and a single Mic transmitter without a receiver for $80.
About the Author: Abby Ferguson holds an MFA in photography and blends a fine-art background with extensive editorial and commercial experience. She built and led an in-house imaging program for a large vacation rental company and has served as an associate editor at Popular Photography. She also teaches at a local community college and serves on its Photographic Technology Program Advisory Board, sharing her knowledge and enthusiasm for the medium.
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A look inside an inkjet, a pen, pencil and, of course, plenty of cells.
Justin Theodore Benttinen, Ole Bielfeldt, Kaelin Wulf & Ms. Rachel Flannery, Dr. Marcel Clemens, Dr. Bruno Cisterna & Dr. Eric Vitriol | Nikon Small World
Nikon has announced the winners of its Small World Photomicrography Competition for 2026, where contestants are tasked with sharing images taken through a microscope. The winner is a stunning image that shows what happens inside a printer as it puts ink to paper, with the result looking like something out of a blockbuster sci-fi movie.
This is the 52nd year that the competition has been held, and there were over 1803 entries from participants in 69 countries. We’re showing the top 20 images here, but you can see honorable mentions and images of distinction over on the Small World website.
First place – Microscopic view of an inkjet printer depositing ink onto paper, Ole Bielfeldt
Ole Bielfeldt / Nikon Small World
Photographer: Ole Bielfeldt, macrofying, Cologne, Northrhine-Westfalia, Germany
Technique: Slow-Motion, Image Stacking
Magnification: 20x (Objective Lens Magnification)
Caption: Captured using a self-constructed imaging rig, using a microscope objective, Bielfeldt’s image sheds light on the previously unseen intricacies of a common process: printing words onto paper.
Bielfeldt is the creator behind macrofying, his photography and videography brand, where he combines photography, microscopy, and self-built equipment to showcase everyday objects in an unfamiliar manner. The winning image was guided by his search to answer a simple question: How does a printer place ink onto paper so precisely? At normal scale, the process happens too quickly and too routinely to notice. But under Bielfeldt’s lens, tiny droplets travel through the air before landing on glossy paper, exposing the machinery, motion, and small imperfections hidden within a device many people use every day.
“I think it was super interesting because I didn’t know how it really worked,” Bielfeldt said of the printer’s internal process. “It’s like it was magic, and I didn’t understand it, but now I do.”
Capturing that moment required Bielfeldt to rethink both the printer and the imaging setup. His first attempts failed because the printhead moved too quickly to keep a small area in focus, and the droplets were too fast for his camera’s shutter speed. Rather than turning to expensive equipment, he reverse-engineered the printer so the paper instead moved beneath a stationary printhead. Working in a dark room, he then used a flash to freeze the droplets in midair, allowing the brief burst of light to serve as the effective shutter.
“After trying and failing many times to capture the droplets in motion, I thought I would need some expensive equipment,” Bielfeldt said. “But it turned out I already had everything I needed.”
Second place – Jumping spider (Salticus scenicus) with pollen, John-Oliver Dum
Fourth place – Tip of a ballpoint pen, Justin Theodore Benttinen
Justin Theodore Benttinen / Nikon Small World
Photographer: Justin Theodore Benttinen, Benttinen Photography, Berkeley, California, USA
Technique: Image Stacking, Reflected Light
Magnification: 20X (Objective Lens Magnification)
Fifth place – Inner structure of a closed daisy, Mike Crutchley
Mike Crutchley / Nikon Small World
Photographer: Mike Crutchley, Pembrokeshire, Southwest Wales, United Kingdom
Technique: Darkfield, Image Stacking
Magnification: 10X (Objective Lens Magnification)
6th place – Hemitrichia slime mold spore structures (fruiting bodies), Eric Epstein
Eric Epstein / Nikon Small World
Photographer: Eric Epstein, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Technique: Image Stacking
Magnification: 10X (Objective Lens Magnification)
7th place – Human neurons reprogrammed from skin cells growing in a microfluidic chamber, Dr. Bruno Cisterna & Dr. Eric Vitriol
Dr. Bruno Cisterna & Dr. Eric Vitriol / Nikon Small World
Photographer: Dr. Bruno Cisterna & Dr. Eric Vitriol, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Department of Neuroscience & Regenerative Medicine, Augusta, Georgia, USA
Technique: Confocal
Magnification: 20X (Objective Lens Magnification)
8th place – Pencil lead during exposure to a high-voltage electrical discharge, Dr. Marcel Clemens
Dr. Marcel Clemens / Nikon Small World
Photographer: Dr. Marcel Clemens, Verona, Veneto, Italy
Technique: Image Stacking
Magnification: 10X (Objective Lens Magnification)
9th place – Dedifferentiated liver endothelial cell, Dr. Francisco Lázaro-Diéguez
Dr. Francisco Lázaro-Diéguez / Nikon Small World
Photographer: Dr. Francisco Lázaro-Diéguez, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
Technique: Confocal
Magnification: 40X (Objective Lens Magnification)
10th place – A parasitoid wasp (𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑢𝑟𝑎 sp.) emerging from a butterfly chrysalis (𝑂𝑝𝑠𝑖𝑝ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑠 sp.), Michael Parra Puentes
Michael Parra Puentes / Nikon Small World
Photographer: Michael Parra Puentes, Macrotipos, Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia
11th place – 20 day old sea urchin larva with blue fluorescent nuclei, Svenja Carolin Kling
Svenja Carolin Kling / Nikon Small World
Photographer: Svenja Carolin Kling, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, La Jolla, California, USA
Technique: Confocal
Magnification: 20X (Objective Lens Magnification)
12th place – A tardigrade molting and laying an egg in the old skin, Dr. Gonzalo Quiroga Artigas
Dr. Gonzalo Quiroga Artigas / Nikon Small World
Photographer: Dr. Gonzalo Quiroga Artigas, CRBM-CNRS, Montpellier, Herault, France
Technique: Confocal
Magnification: 40X (Objective Lens Magnification)
13th place – Recrystallized estrogen, Sebastian Sparenga
Sebastian Sparenga / Nikon Small World
Photographer: Sebastian Sparenga, McCrone Research Institute, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Technique: Polarized Light
Magnification: 10X (Objective Lens Magnification)
14th place – Pilobolus fungi on sheep dung, Mike Crutchley
Mike Crutchley / Nikon Small World
Photographer: Mike Crutchley, Pembrokeshire, Southwest Wales, United Kingdom
Technique: Image Stacking
Magnification: 20X (Objective Lens Magnification)
15th place – Mouse trachea showing tiny hair-like cells that move mucus and nearby nerves (blue) associated with the muscles (yellow), Dr. Julien Resseguier
Dr. Julien Resseguier / Nikon Small World
Photographer: Dr. Julien Resseguier, University of Oslo, Department of Biosciences, Oslo, Viken, Norway
Technique: Confocal, Deconvolution, Fluorescence
Magnification: 60X (Objective Lens Magnification)
16th place – Embryonic Xenopus skin cells, showing cilia (green), centrioles (red), and cell membranes (white), Pierre Nouaux & Laurent Kodjabachian, Camille Boutin
Pierre Nouaux & Laurent Kodjabachian, Camille Boutin / Nikon Small World
Photographer: Pierre Nouaux & Laurent Kodjabachian, Camille Boutin, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Toulouse, France, France
Technique: Confocal, Fluorescence
Magnification: 63X (Objective Lens Magnification)
17th place – Lab-grown human intestinal tissue showing glowing, brick-like epithelial cell connections that form the intestine’s protective barrier, Dr. Gauri Kulkarni & NA
Dr. Gauri Kulkarni & NA / Nikon Small World
Photographer: Dr. Gauri Kulkarni & NA, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM), Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
Technique: Confocal
Magnification: 20X (Objective Lens Magnification)
18th place – 14-day-old mouse hippocampal neurons showing nuclei (green) and synaptic proteins (red), Bilal Akhtar
Bilal Akhtar / Nikon Small World
Photographer: Bilal Akhtar, Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of RNA Biology, Mainz, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
Technique: Confocal
Magnification: 40X (Objective Lens Magnification)
19th place – Cross-section of a mouse eye showing retinal blood vessels and the optic nerve, Satu Paavonsalo & Dr. Sinem Karaman
Satu Paavonsalo & Dr. Sinem Karaman / Nikon Small World
Photographer: Satu Paavonsalo & Dr. Sinem Karaman, University of Helsinki, Individualized Drug Therapy Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, Helsinki, Finland, Helsinki, Uudenmaan lääni, Finland
Technique: Confocal
Magnification: 20X (Objective Lens Magnification)
20th place – Large sea snail (abalone) shell, Justin Theodore Benttinen
Justin Theodore Benttinen / Nikon Small World
Photographer: Justin Theodore Benttinen, Benttinen Photography, Berkeley, California, USA
Technique: Image Stacking, Reflected Light
Magnification: 20X (Objective Lens Magnification)
About the Author: Mitchell started taking pictures at 10 and hasn’t stopped since. It’s been a wide-ranging adventure, spanning a wide variety of genres and locales, and occasionally dipping into fascinations with video and filmmaking. They honed their technical knowledge doing documentation, programing and QA, writing for The Verge, and just generally messing around on the computer to see what breaks.
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A French court quietly ordered the company’s liquidation in July. Its cameras are still for sale, but support is uncertain.
Pixii
Pixii, the French maker of digital rangefinder cameras, has entered judicial liquidation. Under French law, this is a formal wind-down process for the business, not a pause or restructuring. Leica Rumors reported the story based on official French business records. Whether you own a Pixii, have thought about buying one, or just follow the company’s products, here’s what you need to know.
What happened and when
Pixii, the French digital rangefinder maker, has entered judicial liquidation – a formal wind-down under French law.Pixii
The trouble started well before this week’s headlines. On December 10, 2025, the Commercial Court of Besançon placed Pixii under redressement judiciaire, a court-supervised restructuring meant to give the company time to reorganize or find investors. In May 2026, the court extended that process to December 10, 2026.
However, on July 22, it converted the case to liquidation judiciaire, roughly similar to Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the US. It appointed a liquidator, SELARL Guigon Associés, and authorized Pixii to continue operating only until July 31, 2026. So while the story has only reached a wider audience this month, the liquidation itself is three months old.
About Pixii cameras
Pixii is an ambitious camera company that makes Leica M-mount digital rangefinders. We covered Pixii’s original concept back in 2018: a rangefinder camera with no rear screen or memory card slot that paired with a smartphone for reviewing and transferring images. While some aspects of the design were polarizing, the announcement generated a lot of excitement around the prospect of a new digital rangefinder. The first model, a 12MP APS-C camera, became available for order in 2020 with 4GB or 8GB of internal storage.
The original Pixii launched in 2020 as a 12MP APS-C camera with up to 8GB of built-in storage and an M-mount lens system.Pixii
In 2021, Pixii announced a second-generation APS-C model with a 26MP sensor, a display that projects settings into the optical viewfinder, USB-C support, and storage options up to 128GB. The Pixii Plus followed in late 2023 with a longer-base rangefinder, and in 2024, the company launched the Pixii Max, a 24MP full-frame version of the camera.
What owners and buyers need to know
This is where things get murky. As of the time of publication, Pixii’s website still lists cameras for sale, including the Pixii Max and Pixii Plus, even though the court only authorized the company to operate through July 31, so it’s unclear whether orders placed there would be fulfilled.
Pixii cameras are also still in stock at B&H Photo, with the 128GB Pixii Max listing for $4,499 and the 128GB Pixii Plus listing for $2,799. Other configurations are listed as “special order.” Buying from B&H means you’re dealing with a reputable retailer with a return policy, but Pixii’s warranty, repairs and firmware updates aren’t guaranteed.
Pixii Max and Pixii Plus are still available for purchase in some configurations from B&H.Pixii
We’ve been unable to find an official statement from Pixii on warranty coverage, repairs or future support. If you have an open order, a deposit, or a camera with Pixii for repair or upgrade, we recommend that you contact the liquidator, SELARL Guigon Associés in Besançon, as soon as possible. French insolvency law sets deadlines for filing claims and reclaiming property.
What liquidation does – and doesn’t – mean
Liquidation isn’t always the final word on a brand. Under French law, a liquidator can sell a company’s assets, intellectual property or other business activities to a buyer, subject to court approval. No buyer has been announced, however, and there is no indication that a sale is imminent.
No buyer for Pixii or its assets has been announced, and there is no indication of an imminent sale.Pixii
What we don’t know
As far as we can determine, Pixii hasn’t issued any public statements, the liquidator hasn’t made any public comments about asset sales, and it’s unclear whether any repair infrastructure will remain intact.
We’ve reached out to Pixii for comment and will update this story if we learn more. If you’re a Pixii owner and receive any direct information from the company, let us know in the comments.
About the Author: Dale Baskin is a professional photographer, writer, and filmmaker based in the Pacific Northwest. He is the Managing Editor of DPReview.com.
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