Sony has released a teaser for a new product announcement in its cinema line. As always, the video is very short on details, showing just the silhouette of a camera, tally lights blazing and a top handle attached, and the tagline “lighting the way forward.”

The company is no stranger to posting teaser videos, but, unlike with the one for what turned out to be the RX10 V, it isn’t giving a lot of time for hype to build. The video says the announcement is coming on July 22nd at 7 AM PT (15:00 BST), which is just around 24 hours after the video was published. Whatever the camera is, it seems we won’t have to wait long to get more details.

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The latest version of Adobe Camera Raw, 18.4.1, started rolling out a few weeks ago, but it quietly introduces a feature that I’ve personally wanted for years: the ability to see where your camera’s focus point was set to. This makes it much easier to tell whether it was your camera’s autofocus system that messed up, or if you simply put the focus point in the incorrect place (which is especially important when, say, you review cameras for a living).

The way it works is relatively simple (if a bit of a finger workout): you open up a Raw in ACR, and press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + O on Windows, or Command + Option + Shift + O on Mac. You can also right click on the image and select the “Show Autofocus Points” option. After you do, ACR will draw a red box around the camera’s selected focus point or area.

Screenshot: Mitchell Clark

While the feature isn’t a fool-proof way of assigning blame for an out-of-focus image – if the box is in the wrong place, it could either mean that you put it there in error, or that your camera’s tracking failed – it’s still very nice to have access to this information without having to view it on your camera’s screen, or in camera makers’ own software. Sometimes it’s just nice to be able to check where you were trying to focus, or, to pick a random example, to see where the photographers from your favorite camera review site were focusing in the images they uploaded to their sample galleries.

Currently, the feature is available for Raw files from Canon, Sony and Nikon cameras. We confirmed that we weren’t able to see autofocus points from the most recent cameras from any other manufacturer, so hopefully Adobe will expand the models it’s available to in the future. We’d also hope that this feature, which is currently only available in Photoshop’s ACR module, makes its way to Lightroom and Lightroom Classic, too.

ACR 18.4.1 also adds a “presentation” mode that shows the photo you’re editing full-screen with a customizable matte around it, and which lets you use the arrow keys to move through the photos you currently have open within the tool. It also lets you use the company’s AI-powered “Generative Expand” feature to fill transparent edges, and improves bidirectional gradient masks, adding support for feathering and giving you more precise control over them. You can download the update through the Creative Cloud app, or via the standalone installer.

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The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is proposing a retroactive ban on suspected DJI‑linked drones and cameras, affecting products sold under brands like Xtra and Skyrover. The move escalates last week’s announcement of proposed $25,000 fines against eight companies that allegedly ignored FCC inquiries about DJI‑related gear marketed in the U.S., penalties that were technically for non‑response rather than the hardware itself.

In the past, the FCC’s decisions generally couldn’t touch products that were already approved, but a recent rule adjustment changed that. As The Verge reported, in late 2025, the Commission amended its equipment‑authorization rules so it can now restrict the import and sale of previously approved devices from companies on its national‑security “Covered List,” without formally revoking those original approvals or disabling gear that’s already in users’ hands.

DJI itself was added to the Covered List in late 2025 after a national‑security review under the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act, a designation that already blocks new DJI radio‑equipped products from receiving FCC approval in the U.S.

Skyrover

This could be the first time the FCC uses its new power, with potential bans on products from Cogito, Fikaxo, Lyno Dynamics, Skyhigh Tech, Spatial Hover, SZ Knowact, WaveGo, Xtra and XAG. The Commission says those products “pose an unacceptable risk” to U.S. national security because they are suspected of containing DJI‑designed radio components under different brand names.

Those who already own products from the at-risk companies won’t be impacted by the FCC’s decision and can continue using them. However, affected drones and cameras are expected to disappear from major online retailers and from the brands’ own sites if the order is finalized, and unsold inventory in the U.S. could need to be written off.

The FCC is accepting public comments for 30 days, so the ban won’t take effect immediately. The Commission says it will consider “specific evidence” that might show the products are compliant, though, as The Verge points out, the organization doesn’t have a great track record of listening to public sentiment. If you would still like to voice your opinion, you can do so via the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing System on the FCC website.

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It’s been about two weeks since we launched the new DPReview website, and our team is still hard at work. Along with fixing some critical behind-the-scenes bugs, we’ve been collecting your feedback and have already made some fixes where we could act quickly, with much more to come.

In the whirlwind since launch, however, there’s one new feature we haven’t talked about much: it’s now possible to see fewer ads on DPReview.

Ads were a source of frustration on the legacy site, and the new site gives you an easy way to cut down on them.

How to see fewer ads

It’s simple: use DPReview while logged in. That’s it. Logged-in readers see fewer ads, particularly the most disruptive kinds, like motion-heavy and video ads.

To be clear, this isn’t an ad-free experience; you’ll still see ads, just fewer of them. Consider it our way of thanking logged-in readers for your support as we continue to improve the ad experience for everyone.

Don’t have a DPReview account? Now’s a great time to create one. Just click the Register link to get started.

We know nobody loves ads. Believe me, we don’t either, but they’re a necessity to keep the site running. It costs real money to operate DPReview, and advertising is an important part of how we cover those costs. It’s not our only source of revenue, but it’s one of the things that lets us offer all of our content for free, whether you visit every day or once in a blue moon.

We also get why people use ad blockers. The reasons aren’t lost on us. We just ask you to keep one thing in mind: when you block ads, you’re not only preventing us from earning revenue, you’re actively costing us money. A photography-rich site uses a lot of bandwidth, and that’s a big part of our expenses. Every time you load our content without ads, we lose money, which makes it harder to do things like pay our writers and maintain our servers.

So if you’ve been browsing with an ad blocker, we ask that you try the new site without it (while logged in). We think you’ll find the ads less intrusive than they were on the legacy site, and you’ll be helping us stay on the internet.

In case you missed it

If you haven’t seen our earlier coverage about the new website, a few links are worth your time:

Gear Patrol founder and CEO Eric Yang – a DPReview user for over two decades – wrote about why we needed to rebuild the site from the ground up, including some helpful historical perspective.

If you want to track improvements as we make them, report a bug or usability issue, or just discuss the new site in our forums, we’ve published a guide on how to do that.

Finally, thank you for bearing with us as we improve the site. We know some things aren’t working as expected and that there’s plenty left to fix and improve. We appreciate your patience while our team works overtime to address those issues so we can remove the beta logo from the site.

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After becoming a go-to brand for tripods and various ways to carry your camera around, Peak Design is tackling the next piece of the puzzle: the L-bracket. As is its usual style, the company isn’t content with simply making a piece of hardware that makes it easy to switch between portrait and landscape shooting. Instead, it has built the Field Bracket as a modular system, launching it alongside additional accessories that aim to solve multiple issues.

The Field Bracket takes design cues from the “Field” tripod plate the company released last year. Like the Field Plate, the L-bracket doesn’t require a tool for installation. Instead, it uses the company’s “Field Latch” mechanism, which features a tab that pops up with the press of a button, turning into a thumb-drive handle. That means no more relying on having a hex tool on hand at all times.

Peak Design

The tool‑free design makes it quick and easy to attach the part of the bracket that goes up the side of the camera, transforming from a simple base plate into a full L‑bracket for shooting in portrait orientation on a tripod. Users can also adjust the upright position to provide room for tethering cables, making it easier to use in a studio setup. The Field Bracket is camera-specific, with versions for select Sony, Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm and Leica camera systems.

Peak Design says that the Field Bracket is the base of a modular system of accessories. In that spirit, it’s also launching the Beacon Finder Tag, a smaller version of its card-sized tracker that it released with its wallet system and which ties in with Apple’s Find My ecosystem. Peak Design says the tag is the first tracker specifically designed to fit in Arca-compatible camera plates, offering a discreet way to keep track of camera gear.

Peak Design

The company has also created a few additional new accessories for the Field Bracket. Its Cheese Plate adds 1/4″-20, 3/8″-16 and cold shoe mounting points for adding accessories like lights, mics, monitors and more. There’s also a hand strap, making it easier to work handheld with it attached to your camera. No matter which accessories are attached, Peak Design says all your camera’s ports and controls will remain easily accessible. It also allows full integration with existing Peak Design accessories, such as its camera straps and Capture Clip.

As is typical for Peak Design product launches, the new gear will first be available via Kickstarter (its 17th such launch). The Kickstarter campaign will allow users to purchase the system at a discount before the retail release. The camera-specific Field Brackets have an MSRP of $150, while the Cheese Plate, Hand Strap and Beacon Finder tag will be sold separately, starting at $40.

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Last year, Adobe’s Nextcam team launched Project Indigo, an experimental camera app for iPhones that offered full manual controls and promised a more natural look from smartphone photos. Now, the team has announced AI Playground, an experimental generative AI tool inside of Project Indigo.

In its announcement, Adobe explains that text-based editing (e.g., asking an AI chatbot to make changes to a photo for you) is still clunky, both in its results and usability. This new tool aims to improve that experience by keeping more of the process – both capture and edit – in one app. It says that AI Playground aims to “explore how generative AI can assist mobile photographers at the point of capture.”

AI Playground offers a handful of buttons that, when tapped, trigger specific generative AI prompts engineered by Adobe. These include options for removing distractions, creating a shallow depth of field, applying certain styles, changing lighting and critiquing photos. There’s also a Custom Edit button where users can input their own prompts, either via typing or dictation. For now, Adobe says it is using Google’s Nano Banana model, but that is subject to change, and may even change on a per-button basis.

Adobe

The “Styles” button allows users to apply a range of preset styles, turning photos into drawings or paintings or changing the lighting. Adobe says the available options “represent techniques we have found to be most successful when applied to everyday snapshots,” so it isn’t an endless list. It also clarifies that it trained the model to identify and highlight the main subject to keep focus on the most important parts of the photo.

Adobe

Object Editing offers tools familiar to editing apps, but Adobe says it is “exploring whether simple editing operations can be performed in the camera app using a generative model.” There are buttons for removing distractions and creating a shallow depth of field. If those specific tools don’t cover what you are looking to do, the Custom Edits button lets you change almost anything, similar to standalone generative AI tools. That includes completely swapping out backgrounds and specifying different styles. Adobe also showed off the ability to turn a drawing into a photo-like image, or change a sculpture into a “real” person.

Adobe

Adobe also highlighted the feedback section, which looks to be a more robust version of Google’s “Camera Coach,” albeit one that critiques photos after the fact, rather than giving you suggestions as you’re composing. It says that it is aimed at helping users learn or advance their photography by providing critique. The tool can provide both reshooting suggestions since it operates within a camera app, along with editing suggestions. Adobe says it is “working on customizing these prompts to reflect individual phone models and lenses, each of which has unique capabilities,” so that users get suggestions specific to what their phone is capable of.

There are some caveats with the AI Playground. First, while it’s free (for now) and doesn’t require sign-in, Adobe is only rolling this out to a small percentage of Project Indigo users. It says that if AI Playground is successful, there will be a paid version. Adobe also makes it clear that this is an experiment inside of an experimental app, so things are subject to change. You need to be connected to the internet to use AI Playground, and to save transmission and generation time, images are 2K pixels on a side.

Adobe

The Nextcam team also explains that it has had to create a workaround for HDR images, as image-generation models only output SDR images at this point. So, if you use Nano Banana to edit an HDR photo (even one taken with Project Indigo), it will produce an SDR image. To address this, Adobe says it built a custom ML model to post-process the SDR image and boost it back to HDR, but warns that it isn’t always accurate.

The announcement also briefly addresses ethics as well. Adobe says it is “working to attach metadata to AI-edited images produced from the AI Playground by using technology from Adobe’s Content Authenticity Initiative,” and specifies that some models, such as Nano Banana, apply invisible watermarks to images. At the end of the day, though, Adobe puts the onus on users: “Whether the edits you apply are ‘fair’ or ‘misleading’ depend on what you do, who you share the images with, and how you present them.”

Adobe

Ethics aside, it seems like an interesting move for the app, given that the original goal of Project Indigo was to produce more natural images that offer “SLR-like” quality from your iPhone. DPReview’s Dale Baskin even chose Project Indigo as his Gear of the Year last year, because it unlocked the ability to take more natural images, encouraging him to use his phone for photos more often. The AI Playground tools, however, seem to take things in a very different, more synthetic direction.

Additionally, the results, at least for now, don’t necessarily inspire confidence. The image at the top of this article looks more like a video game rendering than a photograph, with a distinctly synthetic sheen rather than the ‘natural’ look Indigo set out to offer. Plus, in some instances, such as the cycling image above, Adobe acknowledges that the models will change details that you don’t want changed. That includes altering face shape and expressions, even if it isn’t part of the user’s prompt or intent. The company’s workaround is to upload reference photos, which certainly isn’t ideal.

For those interested in testing AI Playground, you’ll need to update the Project Indigo app to version 1.1. If you are one of the selected users, you’ll see a screen pop up inviting you to use the feature. If you’re not a fan of GenAI in your camera app and you get invited, you can simply decline and keep using Project Indigo as you did before. Adobe also says that the Nextcam team is working on non-GenAI computational photography features that it plans to launch soon.

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I’m not completely shocked that Sony updated the RX10: the existing model was clearly out of production and increasingly silly second-hand prices suggested there was pent-up demand. And now the work of integrating more modern components with a Type 1 sensor has been done, surely an updated RX100 will be next?

I found myself thinking about what that might look like, and the more I do, the more I suspect it won’t be what I want.

Two years ago I made the argument that there is a market for enthusiast compacts: small cameras with decent image quality and sufficient direct control to give a satisfying photographic experience. I proposed an RX100-style camera with a less-expensive sensor and the original 24-70mm equiv F1.8-2.8 lens. Sadly, that’s not what I’m expecting Sony to make, at all.

Sony is a technology company. A technology company that makes some very good cameras, but ultimately a company that believes that their cameras will always be made better by throwing more and newer technology into them.

So instead of the stripped-back camera with direct controls and a (relatively) accessible price tag that I’d love someone to make, I suspect we’ll get a camera with, at the very least, all the bells and whistles of the RX10 V. I’m going to guess it’ll have the rangier but slower 24-200mm equiv lens, the ability to shoot at framerates around double the speed of a pro-targeted DSLR and a list price of at least the $1500 that the VII’s launch price would equate to, today.

And thinking about this made me remember how frustrated I’ve always been with the RX100 cameras. Because, with their introduction of the Type 1 (13.2 x 8.8) sensor to the compact market, they represented a huge step forward in terms of how much image quality you could fit in your pocket. The JPEG color on the first one was perhaps a little wonky but that 116mm² sensor was nearly three times the size of the Type 1/1.7 (43mm²) chip that had dominated the space up until then, and that’s the kind of difference you could see in every photo.

Richard Butler

But despite the appearance, price and that short, bright lens, the RX100 never felt like an enthusiast compact. Compared to the likes of the Olympus XZ models or Canon’s G and S-series cameras, the Sony sorely lacked engaging control points. Typically I’ll use an enthusiast compact in Aperture Priority mode, so would want to be able to control the aperture value and exposure compensation: both of them settings that adjust in fixed, stepped intervals. The RX100 doesn’t have a well-placed clicking control point, meaning you have to change most settings via the vague, free-rotating ring around the lens. There’s a lag before it recognizes that your input is intentional and there’s no tactile feedback that you’ve changed anything.

The result, even before you visited the old, rather chaotic menus, was a user experience that left you feeling detached from the photo taking process: the precise opposite of what I believe a standalone camera needs to offer. The RX100 series have always been products whose engineering I admired, rather than cameras I enjoyed.

I remember being advised “stop trying to make it do what you want, and just use it as a point-and-shoot,” and finding that helped. But if I wanted to just take snaps, I’d probably use a smartphone, because the phone makers know their devices aren’t about taking control, so they’re happy to shoot and combine multiple images with every shot, letting them rival or exceed the image quality of a Type 1 camera taking single photos.

I could be wrong, of course. Sony might significantly rework the RX100 to make it fun to take control of. Or it might not make one at all. And, even if it does, I’m not going to assume that the things I, personally, want are the things that the market as a whole wants: Sony will have a much better idea of what sells and what doesn’t, and of what would-be customers are asking for.

But, while the whole thing remains hypothetical, you can’t blame me for hoping.

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As we enter the second half of this year, I wanted to take a moment to say thank you for all your fantastic contributions in the forums and elsewhere, and to consider where we go next together on a community level.

One of the great things about our community is that every day I see photographers talking about their exciting new G.A.S. purchases (my own “needs” list keeps expanding, too), sharing unique photos like the above and reminding each other that we truly have a special place that supports both gear and photography interests.

So far this year, you’ve started so many fantastic discussions, several of which are still ongoing as of several weeks ago.

One of the community’s great strengths is when you engage with each other and constructively answer questions from both new and old members. Thank you for inviting those new members into our community.

Ab S

Showcasing your content

One of the most exciting initiatives you’ve continued to proudly coordinate for years now are the weekly photo threads. I love these because every day brings a new opportunity to give you a reason to share your photography on a fresh topic.

For those who are not aware, various community members (often from camera-specific forums) coordinate weekly photo showcase threads that encourage everyone to post a photo on the week’s topic. Topics range from nature to indoor decorations to photos taken with a specific camera brand, and sometimes it’s completely open-ended. They are usually more informal and less rules-based than structured photo challenges, which you may have also heard about. Everyone is welcome to participate. Feel free to include a short story along with the photo.

If you are a new member and need a way to “break the ice” on getting involved, sharing your photography wherever you can is a great start.

If you are new to photography itself, don’t feel like you’re “not professional enough” because there is no such thing. Our community is not some elites-only club, even if it feels intimidating at first upon seeing a technical-heavy discussion in forums like Studio and Lighting Technique.

cezirkle

What’s next for our community

I’ve seen some great ideas about how to make the forums an even more valuable and enjoyable place to share your gear choices and photography. I’m committed to giving all the content you create the support it deserves, even if it takes a little while to develop support programs for it. Please keep those great ideas coming.

Here are a few of the projects I’m looking forward to collaborating on with you all over the rest of the year and into the next:

• Create more activities across the forums, including within the photo and album system itself, to maximize opportunities to share your photography. This includes expanding on the per-forum section photo albums we created just a couple of months ago.
• Explore better ways to showcase your gear and photography how-to guides and community reviews – a place that would keep them more in the spotlight than an endless ongoing forum of posts that would otherwise eventually bury the guide.
• Ensure the rest of our community outside the forums has more opportunities to become aware of and contribute to your discussions and activities. This includes us reaching out more on places like reddit to bring them to the forums. Do you know about a photography group that we could invite to our community? Please let us know! 

wouterv

Whether you’ve been part of the community for more than 25 years, or this is the first DPReview article you’ve read, I hope you will stop by the forums and say hello. While you’re there, feel free to share your photography. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Special thanks to community members, nick10, cezirkle, Ab S and wouterv for their photos being spotlighted in this article. You can find these photos and more in the weekly photo threads.

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Tamron’s 12-20mm F2.8 adds a fast, ultra-wide option for Sony and Nikon shooters. It goes wider than its rival zooms on the Z-mount and is smaller and lighter than its closest competitor on E-mount, making it an interesting addition to both systems.

We had a chance to use it, prior to launch, with Mitchell taking it with him on his vacation out beyond Eastern Washington. He’s been sending back samples, to broaden the range of the gallery. Have a look to see how this compact ultra-wide performs.

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