Image: Oppo

Phone manufacturers are perpetually on a quest to craft the best camera phone. Oppo has announced its latest entry into the competition with the Find X8 Ultra, promising groundbreaking camera tech made with Hasselblad color calibration. The Oppo Find X8 Ultra competes with the likes of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra and Vivo X100 Ultra and features some camera specs that surpass the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

The latest Oppo flagship features a five-camera system, all of which offer a 50MP resolution. The star of the show is the main camera with a Type 1 (13.1 x 9.8mm) Sony sensor. Oppo says it is 63% bigger than the iPhone 16 Pro Max's main camera and 69% bigger than the 200MP main camera on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, as GSM Arena reports.

Image: Oppo

Also found on the Find X8 Ultra are 3x and 6x periscope telephoto cameras, both of which feature brighter apertures than the Find X7 Ultra. The 6x telephoto camera also gets a healthy bump in sensor size compared to the previous model's Type 1/2.51 (5.7 x 4.3mm) sensor. That means greater light-capturing ability across the board.

The ultra-wide camera, though, gets a slight downgrade. The Find X7 Ultra featured a larger Type 1/1.95 (8.2 x 6.1mm) sensor. The aperture remains at F2.0, however. Finally, the front of the phone uses the same 32MP 21mm equiv. F2.4 camera as the previous model. On the video front, all of the cameras are capable of 4K60p video, while the main camera and 3x telephoto offer 4K 'Dolby Vision' recording up to 120p.

Oppo also promises that the Find X8 Ultra's cameras' photos will have better color accuracy, in part thanks to a 'True Chroma' sensor, which it says uses a nine-channel multispectral system to analyze the scene's color temperature. It works in tandem with the Hasselblad processing, promising to deliver accurate skin tones in any lighting conditions.

There's also plenty of other tech behind the scenes aiming to improve image quality even more. That includes Oppo's 'HyperTone Image Engine,' which the company says improves computational abilities and performance in tricky lighting conditions. AI tone mapping also provides better depth and detail, particularly in backlit scenes, according to Oppo. Finally, the ProXDR engine improves brightness and color information.

Image: Oppo

Despite the impressive camera specs, the Find X8 Ultra hasn't ended up absurdly massive like some other camera-focused phones. Oppo claims the Find X8 Ultra is the thinnest flagship camera phone currently available, measuring 8.8mm (0.35") thick. The emphasis there is on camera phone – the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra are slightly thinner, though they use smaller cameras. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra, meanwhile, ranges from 9.3mm to 9.5mm, depending on the material.

Keeping things slim hasn't resulted in compromises in terms of performance, either. In fact, the battery gets a decent bump from the Find X7 Ultra, using silicon-carbon battery tech with a 6100mAh battery, which is nearly 21% larger than the previous model. Oppo also upgraded to the Snapdragon 8 Elite with up to 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of UFS 4.1 storage. The display remains the same, with a 6.82-inch QHD+ AMOLED display with a 1-120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1600 nits. Finally, it has an IP68 rating against water and dust ingress.

Oppo also announced the Find X8s and X8s Plus, which are less camera-focused. Unfortunately, as enticing as the Oppo Find X8 Ultra looks in terms of camera chops, it will be available exclusively in China. Oppo typically sells its devices in Europe as well, but that isn't the case with its latest release. It will go on sale on April 16 in China for CNY 6,499 for the base model (12GB/256GB), CNY 6,999 for the 16GB/512GB model and CNY 7,999 for the 16GB/1TB model.

This is the first leaked image of the rumored Fujifilm half-frame digital compact camera with 1″ sensor and vertical screen (see FCC filing):

New Fujifilm FF240003 camera with vertical LCD screen registered with the FCC

Mockups of the rumored Fujifilm half-frame digital compact camera with vertical screen

About the two upcoming Fuji cameras teased for 2025

The post First leaked image of the rumored Fujifilm half-frame digital compact camera with 1″ sensor and vertical screen appeared first on Photo Rumors.

Photo: Abby Ferguson

Google recently announced the Pixel 9a, its budget offering in the Pixel smartphone lineup. For this model the company opted to ditch the camera bar for a flat camera bump, resulting in a larger battery but smaller cameras. Though it sticks to the two-camera design, with a wide-angle main camera and ultra-wide camera, its main camera uses a 48MP Type 1/2 (6.4 x 4.8 mm) sensor, down from the 64MP Type 1/1.7 (7.3 x 5.5mm) sensor found in the Pixel 8a's main camera. However, Google says that other upgrades, such as software and silicon improvements, make up for the dip in resolution and sensor size, and promises that the 9a is capable of capturing "class-leading photos and videos."

We've had the opportunity to take the phone around for a week, testing out the cameras to put together a sample gallery.

See the sample gallery

The Pixel 9a is hitting shelves on April 10 in the US, Canada and UK. It will be available on April 14th in Germany, Spain, Italy, Ireland, France, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, Poland, Czechia, Romania, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia and Finland. Australia, India, Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia will have to wait until April 16th.

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

Image: Adobe

Last week, Adobe announced that a handful of AI-based features would be moving out of Premiere Pro beta. Now, the company is teasing even more AI tools for Premiere Pro and Photoshop ahead of Adobe Max London on April 24. In a blog post, the company provides a basic overview of what's coming, promising even faster edits and helpful tools for learning.

All of the new features rely on agentic AI, or tech "capable of conversing, acting and solving complex problems." It's essentially a highly capable chatbot that combines elements of generative AI with decision-making and execution capabilities. Adobe says its approach to agentic AI is similar to its approach to generative AI, aiming "to give people more control and free them to spend more time on the work they love – whether that’s creativity, analysis or collaboration."

Image: Adobe

To that end, Adobe teased that at Adobe Max London, it will showcase its first creative agent in Photoshop, found in an all-new Actions panel. "Our vision is for Photoshop to be able to analyze your image and recommend smart, context-aware edits," Adobe explained. It says the editing platform could find ways to improve your image and actually make those improvements with a single click. It also says it wants users to be able to use natural language to access "more than 1,000 one-click actions in Photoshop" for faster and simplified edits.

In the video examples provided in the blog post, prompts are typed into the AI agent, which then handles the edits for the user. The creative agent adds all of the edits as layers, just like if the person were to be making the changes themselves. That means you can still go in and tweak things by hand as needed.

Adobe says this isn't exclusively about speeding up the editing process. Instead, it also envisions the creative agent as a way to learn Photoshop. Given how complex and overwhelming the software can be for new users, such a resource could be helpful. Plus, Adobe says it could also handle repetitive tasks like preparing files for export.

Image: Adobe

Adobe also envisions agentic AI coming to Premiere Pro. One example it provides is using the creative agent to create a rough cut. Getting started on projects is often the hardest step, after all. "While AI can’t replace human creative inspiration, with your input it can make some educated guesses to help you get your project off the ground."

Adobe's Media Intelligence can already help you search for clips by automatically recognizing objects and visual compositions. The platform also understands spoken dialogue and can generate captions and transcripts. So extending those features to a tool that can help quickly cut together clips to help you get started doesn't seem that far-fetched. "We envision a world where you can direct a creative agent to help you refine shot choices, craft rough cuts, assist with color, help mix audio, and more." Like Photoshop, Adobe also wants to use agentic AI in Premiere Pro to help users learn the software, including understanding keyboard shortcuts for complex actions.

Adobe says that the Adobe Research team is currently working on the foundational pieces of the company's agentic AI framework. It will likely be showing off the tools and providing more details during Adobe Max London, which you can catch online for free on April 24.

Image: Atomos

In late 2022, Atomos told investors that it had "completed development of a world class 8K video sensor" and that it was "actively exploring opportunities for commercialisation" and holding talks with camera makers that it said were "showing great interest." In an interview with PetaPixel later that year, the company said it was a full-frame, global shutter sensor capable of capturing 8K at 60fps with up to 15 stops of dynamic range, all while drawing just 2W of power.

We've heard very little about the project since then, but PetaPixel has just reported that it's been abandoned, citing a conversation with the company's COO. Currently, there are no further details about when the call was made to sideline the sensor or why that decision was made. We've reached out to Atomos and will update this story if we hear back.

While there's been very little news about the sensor – dubbed the 'Sapphire F8' – since 2022, it seemed like an interesting proposition. Global shutters are especially useful for video applications, where rolling shutters can cause distortion on fast-moving subjects or during quick camera movements.

In 2022, the Sapphire would've been ahead of the curve

While several cinema-focused cameras have used the tech over the years, it's only recently become available in cameras with larger (full-frame or above) sensors. When Red announced the V-Raptor X in early 2024, it said it was the "first available large format global shutter" cinema camera. Around the same time, Sony's a9 III became the first full-frame mirrorless camera to feature a global shutter. In 2022, Atomos' Sapphire project, developed after it acquired rights and technical staff from broadcast equipment company Grass Valley in 2017, would've been ahead of the curve.

Whatever caused the company to drop the project, it's unfortunate that there won't be more competition in the high-end sensor market. Making a sensor is no small feat, and neither is actually getting it into a finished product – something Atomos already knew since work on the Sapphire began during a project to create a cinema camera, which also wound up being canceled.

Photo: Abby Ferguson

Embedding social media posts has become a widespread practice and a critical tool for all sorts of websites. It allows sites to share content without hosting it themselves, opening the doors to showcase more dynamic content and user-generated or brand materials. Now, though, a photographer is asking the US Supreme Court to consider if embedding social media content is a violation of copyright.

As initially reported by Digital Camera World, photographer Elliot McGucken filed a petition for certiorari (a request to review) on March 28. This petition is part of his lawsuit against media company Valnet, Inc., which runs thetravel.com. The lawsuit results from The Travel embedding 36 photographs in McGucken's Instagram posts across multiple articles without his permission. The case argues that embedding a copyrighted work without the artist's permission is copyright infringement.

This debate, which centers around the "server test," is far from new. The server test was a guideline initially established in a 2007 Ninth Circuit Court decision. It essentially says that if a website hosts a copyrighted image on its own systems, it is a copyright violation. But if the website uses third-party hosting, such as by embedding a social media post or an image from an artist's website, it does not violate copyright.

There have been multiple challenges since the initial guideline was established. However, the most recent (outside of this new case) was in 2023, when photographers Alexis Hunley and Matthew Brauer filed a class action lawsuit against Instagram. They claimed that Instagram violated their copyright by allowing Time and Buzzfeed to embed photos they shared on their Instagram profiles. A three-judge panel at the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Instagram was not liable for copyright infringement, though, explaining that when a photo or video is embedded, no copy is made.

The district courts and Ninth Circuit court have already dismissed the complaints, but the photographer has now asked the Supreme Court to weigh in. The petition gives multiple reasons for why it should be granted, one of which is that it "presents a clear legal question that has divided the federal courts." However, as VitalLaw reports, district courts in the Second, Fifth and Tenth Circuits, including a federal court in Manhattan, have all rejected it.

Instagram, like many other social media platforms, allows users to turn off embedding, which prevents websites from sharing content in this way. Instagram rolled this out in 2021, and users can change the setting under the "How others can interact with you" option inside the Settings menu.

The Supreme Court has until May 1 to issue a response.

PowerShot V1 | 25.6mm (50mm equiv.) | F4.5 | 1/640 sec. | ISO 125 Photo: Mitchell Clark

Canon recently made its PowerShot V1 compact available globally, after it was initially launched for the Asian market. While the company's marketing it as a vlogging camera, photographers also seem to have taken an interest in it, with its reasonably large Type 1.4 (18.4 x 12.3mm) sensor paired with a 16-50mm equiv. F2.8-4.5 lens.

We've gotten the opportunity to shoot with it a bit and have put together a sample gallery, which should give you some idea of how the sensor and lens perform. We'll dig deeper into image quality in our full review.

See the sample gallery

Given that it's a vlogging camera, we've also put together some sample footage taken with it. It's embedded below, though, so note that you may need to click through to watch the video on YouTube if you want to see it at its maximum quality.

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.

7Artisans just announced the previously reported L-mount of the 7Artisans AF 50mm f/1.8 FF lens, priced at $228. The lens features an optical structure of 11 elements in 9 groups, including two aspherical lenses, one extra-low dispersion (ED) element, and two high-index elements. Orders are now open at:

• B&H Photo
• 7Artisans
• Pegear

Additional information:

Just announced: L-mount of the 7Artisans 50mm f/1.8 autofocus lens

The post Just announced: 7Artisans AF 50mm f/1.8 FF lens for L-mount appeared first on Photo Rumors.

FujiAddict posted a mockup of what the rumored Fujifilm half-frame digital compact camera with 1″ sensor and vertical screen could look like based on the reported FCC filings:

New Fujifilm FF240003 camera with vertical LCD screen registered with the FCC

Fujifilm Half Frame Camera FCC Filings and First Look FF24003

About the two upcoming Fuji cameras teased for 2025

The post Mockups of the rumored Fujifilm half-frame digital compact camera with vertical screen appeared first on Photo Rumors.

In addition to the 40mm f/2.5 full-frame autofocus lens, 7Artisans is also teasing a new 10mm wide-angle lens:

Check the official 7artisans website for updates.

All new product announcements from the 2025 NAB show can be found on this page:

The post 7Artisans is teasing a new 10mm wide-angle lens appeared first on Photo Rumors.

After Leica, Nikon, Fuji, and Sony, Panasonic also joined the Content Authenticity Initiative:

We are thrilled to welcome Panasonic as a member of the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI), joining more than 4,500 media and technology companies, non-profits, creators, educators, and many others working together to build trust and transparency in our digital ecosystem.

"By joining the CAI, we are committed to contributing to the ecosystem, ensuring the authenticity of digital content, and fostering an environment of trust and transparency online," said Toshiyuki Tsumura, Business Division Executive of the Imaging Solution Business Division at Panasonic Entertainment & Communication Co., Ltd. "This initiative also aligns with our corporate philosophy: Ahead in Innovation, Together in Emotion—Your Trusted Partner for Audio and Imaging Solutions.” (contentauthenticity.org)

The post Panasonic joins the Content Authenticity Initiative appeared first on Photo Rumors.

A screenshot of the Google Learning Light Experiment.

Understanding how to control light is one of the more complex parts of learning photography. That's why introductory photography classes typically focus exclusively on ambient light and why there are entire semester-long classes dedicated to lighting. Learning how to manipulate light could get easier now, though, with Google's new Learning Light tool.

Learning Light is part of Google's newly released series of AI "experiments" focused on arts and culture. It combines an AI chatbot with a virtual stage, allowing users to learn about different lighting setups and see them in action. The chatbot, with its delightfully retro LuxeBot3000 name, walks you through eight mini-lessons covering different aspects of lighting, including intensity, color, shape, position, mood and more. There are also four different lessons on the lighting in specific artworks, such as Edward Hopper's Nighthawks.

The chatbot walks you through various aspects of lighting.

The lessons are very quick and straightforward. Instead of allowing open-ended chats, the chatbot provides preset answers for users to select from. In fact, the chat bar is fully disabled during the lessons, so there's not even an opportunity to ask follow-up questions. You can, however, choose to exit the guide at any time and play around, which is where I think the tool could be most useful.

Outside of the guide, you can manually adjust multiple settings for six different lights. Users can control power, angle, penumbra, hue and saturation for each individual light or adjust those settings for groupings of lights. The set starts with a mannequin and plant, but you can also add additional props like a couch, plants, and an old-school TV. You can also change the backdrop from a basic studio setting to real-world options like a restaurant, ski resort, train station and more.

There's a rather odd selection of props available.

Of course, the tool is far from perfect. The selection of props is quite small and rather strange (I don't know too many photographers who use a busted-up cardboard box, rusted barrel, or two fire hydrants as props). The lights can't change position, either, so you're stuck with the existing positioning. Additionally, since it is focused on stage lighting, it lacks accessories photographers would use to modify the light, like softboxes or beauty dishes.

The chatbot is also rather limited and not extremely helpful. It is only able to make changes to the properties of the available lights or answer very basic questions about lighting. In fact, it seems a bit odd that this is based on Google's 'Gemini' generative AI tech. Given the long list of limitations, it's a bit like watering houseplants with a fire hose. Perhaps that means that more advanced tools and features could come later, but for now, a lot of technology is backing a fairly simple platform.

Learning Light can walk you through creating a lighting scenario inspired by Nobility in the Evening Cool (Koki nōryō no zu) by Yōshū (Hashimoto) Chikanobu.

Despite its flaws, the Learning Light Experiment has benefits. The simple controls make it very approachable no matter someone's experience level, providing a good introduction to what's possible with lighting. It could also be useful for planning basic lighting scenarios for shoots. Perhaps most important, though, is that it's free. More capable programs for playing around with lighting setups can cost substantially more, such as set.a.light 3D, which costs a minimum of $119 when full-price. That could be a hard sell for beginner photographers, so it is nice to see a free platform, even if it is more limited.

Photo: Fujifilm

Fujifilm has announced its latest Instax Mini camera, the retro-looking Instax Mini 41. The company says that the new instant camera features a "stylish new look and improved functionality" compared to its predecessor. The Instax Mini 40 came out four years ago, so it is nice to see a refresh. Unfortunately, for anyone hoping for a massive revamp, it's only a subtle update.

The most significant change to the Instax Mini 41 is a fresh look. Unlike the faux leather finish on the Mini 40, the updated camera features a "textured, tactile body" to provide a "secure, ergonomic grip." It also offers a metallic-looking (though not actual metal) finish and orange color accents for a more polished look.

Fujifilm promises better close-ups thanks to the added parallax correction. Image: Fujifilm

Beyond its new look, the camera also promises improved close-up images. Given that the viewfinder and close-up lens on Instax cameras aren't perfectly lined up, what you see through the viewfinder isn't exactly what the final composition will be. To address this, Fujifilm added parallax correction, which makes it easier to center subjects. The closeup mode is meant for subjects from 30-50cm (11.8-19.7") and doubles as a selfie mode.

The Fujifilm Instax Mini 41 will be available for purchase by the end of April. Interestingly, Fujifilm did not provide any US pricing for the camera, which is unusual for the company. The camera is currently listed on B&H with the option to sign up for notifications, but no price is listed. Likewise, the listing on the Fujifilm website lacks a price as well. While it didn't say specifically that the lack of a price is a result of uncertainty related to the US tariffs, that could be the cause.

Image: Content Authenticity Initiative

Panasonic has become the latest camera company to become a member of the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI), joining Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm and Leica. The organization aims to coordinate the industry's efforts to create transparency around how images were created, using tools like C2PA Content Credentials that certify details about how an image was made and edited – especially useful as generative AI becomes increasingly accessible.

In a blog post on its website, the CAI says Panasonic is "joining more than 4,500 media and technology companies, non-profits, creators, educators" to help "build trust and transparency in our digital ecosystem." The post quotes Toshiyuki Tsumura, Business Division Executive of the Imaging Solution Business Division at Panasonic Entertainment & Communication Co., who says: "By joining the CAI, we are committed to contributing to the ecosystem, ensuring the authenticity of digital content, and fostering an environment of trust and transparency online."

"We are committed to contributing to the ecosystem, ensuring the authenticity of digital content"

The post doesn't mention any concrete details, like whether this means we'll see content authenticity tools in current or upcoming Lumix cameras. Historically, the matter has been complicated – Fujifilm joined the CAI in early 2024, but in an interview last month, it told us that it was "still developing and investigating how to implement the CAI and the C2PA."

Even brands that have implemented it don't necessarily make the tech available to everyone – some Leica models come with support for Content Credentials unlocked out of the box, but companies like Nikon and Sony have said their authenticity features will mainly be for news agencies. Many of Panasonic's stills cameras are more consumer-oriented, though models like the S1RII are explicitly aimed at professionals and come with features that would mainly be worthwhile for those users. The company is also a big player in the professional video market and makes several cameras specifically aimed at news companies.

However Panasonic chooses to work with the CAI and implement its technologies, this seems like another step forward for content authenticity initiatives. Rebuilding the public's trust in the images they see online will only become more important in the future, and it would be an extremely large task for companies to accomplish alone. Organizations like the CAI help streamline the process and make sure that everyone in the chain has a say, including camera companies, photo editing software companies and technology companies whose platforms will be used to share images.

Fujifilm has registered a new FF240003 camera with the FCC.

Here are the drawings - you can clearly see the vertical LCD screen on the back, which could indicate that this filing is for the rumored Fujifilm half-frame digital compact camera:

You can see all the filed documents here.

The post New Fujifilm FF240003 camera with vertical LCD screen registered with the FCC appeared first on Photo Rumors.

Fujifilm officially announed the previously rumored INSTAX Mini 41 instant film camera:

• Pre-order: B&H Photo | WEX Photo
• Press release
• Fuji has sold 100 million Instax in more than 100 countries since 1998
• Additional informtion on the new INSTAX Mini 41:

• Accepts INSTAX MINI Instant Film
• 60mm Lens with Selfie Mirror
• Automatic Exposure and Automatic Flash
• Adjusts Shutter Speed Automatically
• Dedicated Selfie/Close-Up Shooting Mode
• Optical Viewfinder with Target Spot
• Two AA Batteries

Automatic Exposure functionality

The Automatic Exposure function automatically senses the level of ambient light when the shutter button is pressed, optimizing the shutter speed and flash output according to the scene. It allows users to produce high-quality photo prints on-the-spot in a variety of interior or exterior environments.

Close-up Mode with Parallax Correction

Mini 41’s close-up mode features Parallax Correction, which helps center close-up images (including selfies) by adjusting the position of the ‘focus’ mark to the lower left of the frame.

Updated, easily portable design

Building off the classic design elements of its predecessor, the textured, tactile body of mini 41 provides secure, ergonomic grip, and the subtle metallic-like finish and orange color accents add unique design elements to the camera body.

Fujifilm expected to set another record revenue year for their Instax camera line

Fujifilm to announce a new Instax 41 camera

The post Fujifilm sold 100 million Instax cameras since 1998, announced a new INSTAX Mini 41 model appeared first on Photo Rumors.

Photo: Natnan Srisuwan / Moment via Getty Images

There's no ignoring that the latest US tariffs are a hot-button topic right now for Americans who are looking at paying more for products made outside the country. Since the tariffs are so far-reaching, questions are swirling about the impact on the pricing and availability of goods for each industry. That includes the photography and videography industries, since most equipment is made outside of the United States. Unfortunately, things aren't looking great. There's a lot of speculation, but we spoke with experts whose job is to analyze the potential impact.

Product pricing, in general, is a complicated endeavor, even with standard tariffs. It involves many calculations, ranging from tariffs to forecasting future changes in relative currency values. While new tariffs are broadly applied, the rates vary depending on the country. Given that many goods could have individual parts from multiple countries, the situation becomes complex quickly. Additionally, some companies might manufacture certain products in one country while other items in their lineup are made in another, resulting in inconsistent pricing changes across their catalog.

When we look at the three big brands – Canon, Sony and Nikon – all three are based in Japan, but Nikon and Sony have shifted much of their production to Thailand and China. Canon makes some of its more budget-focused equipment in Taiwan, Thailand and China, but it also manufactures some in Japan. Anjali V. Bhatt, the Communications Manager and Research Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) explained that products from Japan have a tariff rate of 24%, while products manufactured in Thailand face a 36% tariff. "So Canon products made in Japan might actually become more affordable than Nikon or Sony for comparable/substitute products, depending on where the gear is shipped from," she said.

Bhatt went so far as to suggest opting for a lens adapter that allows you to use Canon lenses on Nikon or Sony gear. That way, you could save money on new lenses since Canon lenses may become more affordable compared to Nikon and Sony as a result of where they are produced. Of course, that will only save you money if the Canon version of what you want is made in Japan and the alternatives are made elsewhere. Additionally, given that even Japan is subject to tariffs, Canon won't be immune to pricing changes, either.

"All photography equipment not made in the US...will be more expensive."

The tariffs could also push companies to adjust where they manufacture cameras and lenses. That doesn't necessarily mean coming to the US, though. Since many of these companies have existing ties to Japan, it could simply mean moving production to Japan because of the lower tariffs. "Since Nikon and Sony have extensive production capabilities in Japan as well, it’s possible they reshore production back to Japan, away from Thailand," Bhatt said. "But the bottom line is that all photography equipment not made in the US, which is a significant majority of it, will be more expensive," she explained.

Outside of cameras and lenses, auxiliary equipment like tripods will likely also become more expensive. That's because much of it is produced in countries like China or Vietnam, which "will see even higher tariffs (the estimate for the tariff rate on Chinese products is around 75%; Vietnam has been assigned a 46% tariff)," Bhatt said.

Because of the complexity of import tariffs and wholesale pricing, we likely won't see a 1:1 correlation between tariff rates and price increases. In other words, Chinese products likely won't cost 75% more, Japanese products won't cost 24% more and Thai products won't have a 36% increase. The system is a lot more complicated than that. However, economists agree that there will be price hikes of some amount across the board.

Another piece of fallout from the high tariffs could be availability. "If there's equipment from highly-tariffed nations – like China – the tariffs may make them so uncompetitive that retailers drop the brand altogether rather than importing cameras they won't sell," explained Justin Wolfers, Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the University of Michigan. He went on to say that prices may not seem higher immediately. Initially, "it'll just be that buyers find it harder to find a good deal," he said.

"All of this is going to cause a lot of short-term change and turmoil, which will be painful and costly."

Blackmagic Design was the first camera company to specifically announce pricing increases as a result of tariffs. Its prices have changed multiple times over the past two days, with the company explaining that "it’s a bit in flux as developments are happening with the tariffs." Indeed, as we are already seeing, "All of this is going to cause a lot of short-term change and turmoil, which will be painful and costly," Dr. Wolfers said.

Photo: Richard Butler

Nikon has announced the 2.0 firmware for its full-frame Zf camera. The update adds a dedicated bird mode to the camera's subject recognition autofocus, support for connecting to the company's Imaging Cloud service and other improvements that will make shooting video and using older, manual-focus lenses more convenient.

The company says the dedicated bird subject detection mode will be quicker and more accurate at detecting and tracking birds than the Auto or Animal modes, especially in complex scenarios like shooting in forests or mountains. While the Zf likely isn't the first camera people reach for when doing wildlife photography – its gripless retro design is better suited to smaller lenses – it's nice that Nikon is making this mode available on the camera regardless.

Nikon Imaging Cloud lets your camera automatically upload photos to the cloud and download color mode "recipes." Image: Nikon

Support for Nikon Imaging Cloud is also a nice addition. It allows the camera to automatically upload images when connected to a Wi-Fi network, rather than requiring you to connect it to your phone or a computer to offload your shots. Additionally, you can configure Nikon Imaging Cloud to automatically offload those images to other services, like Dropbox, Google Drive, Lightroom and more. The service can also be used to sync additional color profiles to your camera – the Zf can store nine – and to automatically keep your camera's firmware up-to-date.

The 2.0 update also adds Nikon's 'Hi-Res Zoom' mode for video, which lets you progressively apply a digital crop up to 2x your lens' actual focal length when shooting 1080p. The company says it doesn't introduce any loss in resolution, as the camera is still using a 1080p region of the sensor. However, in other cameras like the Z9, the feature does incur some loss of detail, as you're no longer getting oversampled video. Still, if you want to make your footage look like you're zooming in, you'll at least have the option to do so.

The final big change with the update revolves around using manual-focus lenses. The company has improved the focus magnification feature, letting you quickly exit it by half-pressing the shutter button so you can see your full composition before actually taking the picture. When you're using the display, the maximum magnification has been increased from 200% to 400%. You can now also assign ISO and exposure compensation to the cameras' command dials in the manual shooting mode and manually record your aperture value if you're using a lens that doesn't electronically communicate with the camera.

It's not surprising that features like Hi-Res Zoom, Imaging Cloud and bird subject detection are coming to the Zf. After all, they're included in the just-launched Z5II, which uses very similar internals. However, it's nice to see them come so quickly, so users who bought the more expensive Zf won't have to be envious of Z5II owners. It's also one more step to making the company's lineup more cohesive, with most of its latest-gen cameras getting Imaging Cloud.

The update is available now from Nikon's website.

At the 2025 NAB show, 7Artisans unveiled a new 40mm f/2.5 full-frame autofocus lens:

Check the official 7artisans website for updates.

Sony and Viltros both already have 40mm f/2.5 lenses.

All new product announcements from the 2025 NAB show can be found on this page.

The new 7Artisans lens was previously reported here as part of the 7Artisans roadmap and will be officially released later this year:

Ten new 7Artisans autofocus lenses (Z/E/L/X) displayed at the IBC show in Amsterdam #IBC2024

The post New 7Artisans AF 40mm f/2.5 FF lens makes its debut at the NAB show appeared first on Photo Rumors.

Image: Blackmagic

Almost every news site is flooded with stories about the new tariffs and their impact on individual product categories. Given that so many photography companies manufacture their goods in places other than the United States, several outlets have predicted that the tariffs will impact photography gear. Now, those expectations are becoming a reality, with Blackmagic Design being the first to officially announce price increases because of tariffs.

In a statement provided to DPReview, Blackmagic explained: "In general, it’s a bit in flux as developments are happening with the tariffs, and our team is trying very hard to keep customers informed with updated pricing, so that’s why they may see some changes. Since we have factories in different countries, it causes different price increases, and we are moving production of some products to help lower costs for customers from what we had previously raised them to since the tariffs went into effect. This will take us some time, so customers may continue to see some pricing change, but again, we are working very hard to keep customers informed with updated pricing."

A screenshot of the Blackmagic website reflecting a $5495 price for the Pyxis 12K camera, taken at 12:42 PM EDT on April 7.

Yesterday, CineD reported that the newly released Blackmagic Pyxis 12K camera went from the launch price of $4995 to $6595 on Blackmagic's website, a 32% increase. CineD included a screenshot of Blackmagic's website reflecting the $6595 price. However, at the time of writing, the website shows $5495 for the camera. While that isn't as substantial an increase as what CineD reported, it is still a bump in price, which no one likes seeing. Since Blackmagic said things are in flux right now, that number could likely continue to change. At the time of writing, the price at B&H is still the original launch price.

A screenshot of Blackmagic's statement on Facebook about pricing changes.

Blackmagic also posted a statement on Facebook about general US prices for its products. It said that most products in the US have increased because of the tariffs, and that these price changes only impact the US. A quick look at the Blackmagic website shows that the company also increased the price of the Pyxis 6K camera from a launch price of $2995 to $3295, while the Ursa Cine 17K went from $29,995 to $32,995.